Daughter of the Dragon
by TheMightyBox
Summary: 6 years after the events of Yakuza 6, Haruka finds herself working in Kamurocho. While she'd like to do nothing more than to live in peace and support her family, the legacy of the Dragon of Dojima is quickly catching up to her. #LetHarukaFight
1. Prologue

Haruka Sawamura's eyes lingered on the automatic doors. Try as she might to look at what she was doing, they kept flitting back. Not for any reason, she wasn't expecting anyone to be there, but this city always put her on edge.

The hood of her white jacket was worn up, hiding her face just ever so slightly. There was a squirming in her stomach, like something bad was just about to happen. That feeling never really went away.

She moved to the counter and set down a convenience store bento box and a carton of cigarettes with a small stack of paper yen on top. The short-haired kid behind the counter was trying very hard to seem enthused about such a minor transaction. She appreciated the effort though. There weren't a lot of people in this city who would even pretend to give a shit. She gave him a kind smile as he put her stuff in a plastic bag.

A whistle from her right. Haruka tensed up. She'd let her eyes off the door for just a second. The cheery, automatic voice chimed in from the overhead speakers as a young punk with bleached blond hair and a too big jersey sauntered in.

"That was pretty sexy there. You should smile more often."

Haruka's smile dropped pretty quickly.

"I was just leaving." she muttered.

The guy said nothing. He did, however, step to block her exit, and by now his four buddies had filtered in as well.

The one sticking closest to jersey guy had a faux-silk, purple, button up shirt, hair slicked back. He looked like a wannabe player plus about 200 pounds.

Behind him was a guy putting on the barest attempt at class, wearing a navy blazer over his stark white t-shirt and faded jeans. His smile was slimy enough to grease an engine.

Coming in on jersey's left was a bald guy, tank top two sizes too small. He had a couple visible tattoos around his collarbone, but not yakuza tattoos. Small, ordinary, street punk tattoos.

Contrasting him and bringing up the rear, was a guy in multiple baggy shirts and a knit cap. How he wasn't dying of heat stroke, Haruka wasn't sure, but she could see him sweating from here.

"In fact," jersey continued. "You kinda look like... Shit, who was that idol from way back when?"

"Which one?" Blazer asked.

"The one that looks like her, dumbass."

"Haruka-chan." Tank top covered him.

"That was the one! Damn, she was cute."

"Mana-chan was cuter." Silk added.

"Shut the fuck up, idiot! You don't know what you're talking about, fawning after that beached whale."

Haruka wasn't trying to draw attention to herself, but now looked like the best time to try and slip away. Jersey noticed and moved to block her again.

"Sorry, got distracted, what I was trying to say is, me and my bros here were looking for a pretty girl to have fun with on our night out on the town. Don't usually go for you older types, but I still got that kid boner for Haruka-chan, so we thought we might try something different tonight."

Jersey's hand was suddenly on her waist and heading south.

Haruka panicked. Her eyes scanned the convenience store. Aside from the five of them, herself, and the kid behind the counter, it was empty. The clerk looked like he was halfway to calling the cops. Haruka didn't have the time for him to make it that last 50%.

She placed her bag down and steadily grabbed jersey by both shoulders. His buddies gave a celebratory whoop, and he had a grin from ear to ear.

Haruka worked to steady her breathing. Deep, thoughtful, purposeful breaths. In, out, in, out.

She wound her head back. The smile on jersey's face dipped ever so slightly.

In.

Out.

She shot forward, slamming her forehead into his. He collapsed onto his back, with dazed, unfocused eyes. Haruka nursed the bruise on her forehead.

"What the fuck?" Silk screamed. He darted forward and grabbed her by the wrist. Haruka spun, turning away, and grabbed his wrist right back. She brought his arm over her shoulder, then yanked it down, felt the pop of it dislocating, and then with a grunt of exertion and twist of her hips, flipped him over, slamming him into the tiled ground. She stomped his face for good measure, and he curled up, holding onto his broken nose with his one good hand.

Haruka flipped her hood down, the lengthy ponytail spilling out, twisting and writhing towards the small of her back like a dragon in flight.

Blazer, tank top, and knit cap nervously put their fists up. Tank top charged first, Haruka ducked the hook to her head and grabbed the closest thing her fingers could find and smashed it into his face as she rose back up. Strawberry-flavored candies went everywhere, tank top didn't seem especially hurt by the hit, but one of the candies found its way into his throat and he was choking trying to cough it back up.

Blazer was rushing in now, and she aimed an arcing punch at his head. His arms went up, blocking the hit, so Haruka pulled him in close and sent a knee to his balls. Blazer bent at the waist, hands immediately going to cover the already aching area. Haruka rocked his chin with an uppercut, straightening him back up, then launched a kick into his chest, sending him flying back into a shelf of batteries.

Haruka bent her extended leg at the knee and reversed the momentum, shooting it back behind her to catch knit cap in the chest, sending him stumbling back. Using her grounded foot, she jumped, spinning in the air, landing on the opposite leg, and striking him with a kick to the ear that knocked him to the ground.

Tank top was still gasping to her side, so she swung a clothesline into his gut, sending the candy flying out of his mouth like a cannon and sending him flying back into one of the glass doors, forming a spider web crack throughout the glass pane on the impact.

The doors, a little late, sensed the movement and opened. Tank top fell backwards and laid spread eagle in the middle of the entrance, preventing the doors from closing and causing the chirpy girl greeting Haruka from the speakers to start repeating herself.

Haruka looked around at the five unconscious bodies sprawled out in the middle of the convenience store. She really hadn't wanted to draw attention to herself like this.

"Oh," Haruka suddenly remembered the clerk. "I'm so sorry, I- I'll pay for any of the damages."

The clerk was shook, literally shaking where he stood, but a glint of resolve lit up from the back of his eyes when he turned towards Haruka.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted. "I'll clean this up. Just get out of here."

"Thank you!"

She bowed and tucked her ponytail back into her hood and flipped it up and grabbed her bag and ran. Out the door and down Tenkaichi Street, turning right at Taihei Boulevard and not stopping till she finally reached the Champion District. She worked her way through the tiny, crowded alleyways of tiny, crowded bars until she reached a cubby with a lovingly etched plank of wood above the door that read "Bohemia".

The little bell over the door let out a soft sound as she slipped inside. Several people were seated about the place, drinking, laughing, chatting louder than normal, yelling things like "Another round!", and flirting with the bartender in the low-cut blue dress. Her name was Natsuko, but they probably didn't know that.

Haruka made to move past them and up to her room.

"Haruka?" Natsuko called out.

Haruka made the mistake of sparing her a glance.

"Haruka, what happened to you?" she gasped.

Haruka tried to hurry up but Natsuko moved from behind the counter and caught her in the corner.

"Seriously, Haruka," she whispered. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Haruka assured her. "It's nothing."

"There's a bruise the size and color of an eggplant on your forehead, what do you mean it's nothing?"

Haruka touched at the spot and immediately flinched back.

"It's nothing. Nothing happened."

"You can't just pick fights with people on the street, Haruka."

"I... didn't want them to take me."

Natsuko went quiet at that one.

"I'm sorry," Haruka said. "I just-"

"No, it's fine. But we're going to have to cover that up before your shift tomorrow."

"Alright." Haruka quietly acquiesced. Natsuko finally let her past, through the door marked employees only and up the stairs behind it. She made it three steps before reaching a hand into her bag. Then she stopped and hung her head, turned around and went back down.

She pushed the door back open again.

"I um," she said to Natsuko, holding up her now cold bento. "I need you to heat this up for me."

Natsuko smiled to her patrons as she took the bento into the back room where they kept a microwave. Some of the people about were casting curious gazes on Haruka. She waved back, trying to act casual while painfully aware of the throbbing in her forehead.

As soon as she got her bento back, she was up the stairs and in her room. It was as tiny and cramped as the bar. Outfitted with luxuries such as a small, round table in the middle with four cushions around it, a futon in the corner with a nice wool comforter, a mini fridge that was regularly empty, Haruka had, admittedly, spared quite a few expenses in getting here.

She shrugged off her jacket, revealing the red spaghetti strap shirt underneath and letting her hair spool downward again. Taking a seat at her table, she ate her meager convenience store meal in quiet. It didn't take very long.

As soon as she was done, she was back on her feet again.

Restless, she moved over to the window and cracked it open. From her back pocket she pulled a lighter, and from the new carton she shook out the first cigarette. She lit up and breathed in, letting the cigarette do its work and soothe her nerves. And breathing out, she sent the smoke out into the chill, night air.

In the distance she could hear the sounds of the city. People talking, glasses clinking, pachinko machines whirring, cars purring, crying, skin impacting against skin, violent strikes accompanied by desperate whimpering, cruel laughter, screams of pain, gangsters stabbing each other in the back, drunks attacking each other from the front, bangs that might have been misfiring cars, might have been arcade machines, or might have been gunshots robbing life after life in this city.

God damn, Haruka hated Kamurocho.


	2. Chapter 1: A Peaceful Life

Sunlight poured through Haruka's window. She rolled away from it, trying in vain to hold onto the last remnants of sleep that were sifting away from her mind. Eventually, however, she conceded, sitting up in her futon with a stretch and a yawn. Her excessive hair curtained around her. She pulled it back, grabbed a hair tie from off the table, and started feeding her lengthy locks down into it.

Her phone rang. She picked that up off the table too. Yuta wanted to facetime.

She tugged the hair tie that last bit up and settled against the wood plank walls to serve as her background. She put on a smile as she pressed the answer button. Yuta Usami appeared on her screen, calling from the Hirose Family office apparently. Seeing him again turned her smile into something a little more genuine.

"Morning, Haruka." Yuta waved.

"Good morning."

Yuta's smile faltered.

"Haruka, are you okay? What happened?"

"What do you me-" Haruka suddenly remembered the bruise she'd gotten last night. "Nothing. Nothing happened. I, um, I tripped down the stairs."

Yuta's expression made it clear he wasn't buying it.

"Hey, hey. Haruka, look at me. I'm the tough as nails yakuza here, let me handle getting into fistfights on the street."

"Alright, Mr. tough as nails yakuza. How's the business been going?"

It was Yuta's turn to avert his gaze. He scratched at the back of his head with his free hand.

"Well… We're doing what we can over here. Before we mainly got by on collection runs and protection services, but between you and me I don't think people trust us that much anymore. Everyone around here puts in a good word when they can, but at this point it's just regulars."

"Yeah, I know how that feels. But whatever keeps us afloat, right?"

"Right. Matsunaga suggested maybe trying to start charging for protection, I told him that was a quick way to lose what little good will we had with people to begin with."

"Maybe some kind of charity drive?"

"Maybe. But that would still only help for right now. If we keep asking for money, that amounts to about the same thing, doesn't it?"

Haruka fell quiet in thought.

"Oh." Yuta said, looking somewhere away from his phone. "Haruto! Haruto come here!"

A soft patter of running feet and, in a moment, Haruka's son was standing next to his father. Already 7 years old, where does the time go? His black hair was kept short, and he was wearing a loose fitting Ultraman t-shirt. A number of his baby teeth had already started falling out, so his toothy smile had a few gaps in it.

"Say hi to mommy, Haruto."

"Hi mommy."

Haruka giggled. "Hi Haruto. How are you today?"

"Good. I found a cool bug at the shrine."

"Oh? Did you bring it here to show me?"

"Woah." Yuta said, backing off as much as he could while still staying in the camera's frame. "Nuh-uh, you can show bugs to your mom without me."

"Don't be such a weenie, Yuta. How's my tough as nails yakuza supposed to protect me if he gets scared off by a little beetle."

"Between you and me, I'd rather take on the entire Tojo than have to deal with a little beetle."

"No," Haruto continued. "I wasn't able to catch it anyways."

"So, you would've brought it next to me if you could?"

The three of them got caught up in an uncontrollable giggle fit.

"So, Haruto," Haruka said, once she'd finally brought herself back down. "I hear you started your first year of school today. How did that go?"

Haruto's expression dropped immediately. "When are you coming home, mommy?"

Haruka was taken by complete surprise.

"Are you trying to change the subject?"

"That's what you're doing now too though isn't it?"

Haruka frowned. He was a smart kid at least.

"I just need to get enough money to help everyone back at the orphanage. It won't be much longer now, I promise."

Haruto looked away from the both of them. He pulled free from his dad's soft grip and ran off.

"Wha- Hey. Haruto!" Yuta called after him. "I'll go talk to him."

"I'm sure it can't be easy." Haruka said. "It was around that age when my mom also left for Kamurocho."

"That place seems to draw in parental abandonment, doesn't it?"

Haruka was silent just long enough for Yuta to realize what he'd said.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean- Sorry Haruka, I was just thinking about my dad."

"I know what you meant. It's fine. You didn't mean anything by it."

And maybe he was right anyways.

"I better go now, see where Haruto ran off to."

"Alright. I miss you."

Yuta looked into the camera, gave a soft nod and swallowed something. "I miss you too."

"I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

His image disappeared, replaced with the white words 'Call Ended'. Haruka leaned her head back against the wall behind her and let out an almighty sigh.

Sitting in the emotions she was feeling got to be overwhelming within the second, so Haruka got to her feet and started changing out of her pajamas and into her day clothes. A black sports bra under a wide-necked white t shirt. Having bought it in Okinawa it had a small, tropical design on the chest. Ending the ensemble, if it could be called that, were black sweatpants with yellow stripes down the side. She'd only just pulled some socks on when she heard something crash downstairs.

Haruka's eyes went wide. She sprang into action and bolted down the stairs, scarily fast even to herself. Bursting out into the bar, she saw 3 men who couldn't be more clearly yakuza. In Haruka's experience they must've been lower level though. Cheap suits, hair with too much product in it, and sparse, crappy facial hair. The leader of the bunch stood at the front with a baseball bat in his hand. On the floor was one of the lovely indigo porcelain vases that Natsuko had decorated the bar with in pieces. The splash of color, she said, really helped to bring the cozy, domestic feel. Natsuko herself was standing in front of the men, trying very hard to stand her ground.

Haruka stepped forward. "We're not open yet."

The lead yakuza turned to his cronies and the three of them gave a short, sharp laugh.

"Unfortunately," he said. "We're here for business, not pleasure. Sorry to say, but it looks like property taxes have gone up again this year. And you know what happens to people who don't pay their taxes."

He reached over and grabbed a wine bottle, tossed it into the air and shattered it with a swing of his bat. Haruka's hands went up to protect her face from the glass shards and dark red wine flying towards her.

Haruka took another step forward. Natsuko put a hand on her arm.

"Haruka, don't."

The lead yakuza stepped up to Haruka with a cocky smile plastered across his face.

"Yeah, Haruka. Don't. We wouldn't want anyone to do something they'd regret."

He had only a moment to feel superior before being launched back out the open door behind them. His two lackeys stumbled out behind him, one with a broken nose, the other clutching his crotch. Their brave leader got unsteadily to his feet, looking like he was about to piss his pants.

"Th- This ain't the last you'll hear of us girl! Nobody fucks with the Tojo and gets away with it! Y- You've made the worst mistake of your life!"

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but settled on stumbling away and around the corner.

Natsuko sighed. "He's right you know."

Haruka turned back to her. Her canary yellow sweater and skirt had been stained by the wine, which was to say nothing of the white shirt underneath it.

"Yeah. I know."

"You should've just let me pay them."

"No!" Haruka snapped. "I'm not letting those scumbags take anything from me or the people I love ever again. I don't care what happens to me, I won't let them."

Natsuko gave Haruka a look.

"Is this… personal experience talking?"

"More than anyone should have. Look, if they try and come back, then… then I'll just fight them off again."

"You can't expect that to actually work, they'll just come back with more guys."

"And I'll tear through however many of them I have to. It's the only thing I can do."

Once checking that the yakuza had properly run off, Haruka left through the door herself.

"Where are you going?"

"To work out. Call me if they come back, okay?"

* * *

Haruka didn't have enough money to afford a membership at the big, fancy RIZAP place in Theater Square. Instead, she attended a small Anytime Fitness on Shichifuku Street. Kamurocho didn't have a city gym and taking a taxi somewhere else in Tokyo would've only been more expensive in the long run.

It had been 6 years since Uncle Kaz was killed on that pier in Hiroshima. The last in a long line of lives given so that she could keep hers. If there was anything Haruka could do now, it was learn to protect herself so that nobody else would have to die for her. That was the only reason she bothered to pay for a gym membership.

The glass wall hadn't been cleaned in a while, the carpet definitely could use some cleaning, and the whole place smelled like sweat stains. But, it had machines for cardio and strength building, a decent number of free weights, and the staff didn't bother people as much as at the other gyms, plus the low cost of attendance and it was basically perfect for Haruka's needs.

Today was weight lifting day, so Haruka got to it. It was partway through her routine, when she was setting up a bench press, that a man approached her. He was only a couple years older than her, tall, tan, well built, his black hair was frizzy and curly and just long enough to bunch up around his shoulders. His face was broad and rested in a natural smile, he kind of looked like a big puppy dog. His very visible muscles strained against a needlessly tight white t-shirt, a shirt which looked a little thicker than what you normally saw worn in a gym, and contrasted the loose and baggy basketball shorts.

"Need a spotter?" he asked.

Haruka hesitated for a moment. "Sure."

Haruka laid down along the bench and the man took his position behind her head. Haruka carefully lifted the barbell off of its catcher and began to pump.

"Don't think I've seen you here before, how long you been attending?" he asked.

Most of the air in Haruka's lungs was busy helping her work.

"Sorry, guess I shouldn't be asking questions."

He looked bashful, if he could rub the back of his neck he probably would, but true to his role, he diligently kept his hands under the bar.

"I… I hope you don't think I'm creepy for saying this, but I only ask because I noticed you as soon as I walked in."

Haruka did think that was kind of creepy.

"Most of the people here, they're looking to lose weight and nothing more. If they want muscles, it's for show. A physical display. But, looking at you, I can tell there's meaning behind that power. You want to grow strong so that you can fight. You're a proper warrior, I could tell. I don't see many of those anymore."

Even if Haruka could, she wasn't sure how she was meant to respond to that.

"Maybe I'm dumping too much on you, I'm sorry. I guess what I'm trying to ask is… would you spar with me?"

Haruka paused, the bar held just above her chest. She stared back up into his expectant smile.

* * *

Haruka stretched herself out. The two of them had moved on into a small room with padded matts on the floor. A general purpose room. She hadn't expected this to be her workout today, but she'd rather not have to fight someone with already aching muscles.

"What makes a girl as pretty as you want to beef up, anyways?" the man asked.

Haruka studied the man. It seemed to be an innocent enough question.

"When it comes to Kamurocho, you're either a fighter or a victim. I got tired of being a victim."

"So you taught yourself how to kick ass so you'd stand a chance at all the thugs looking to snatch your purse, is that it?"

"I don't carry a purse. And it's not that uncommon to be interested in self-defense."

"It's not. I just wonder if that's all there is to it."

"What would I get out of fighting someone for no reason?"

The man shrugged. "A thrill. A feeling of power over them. The exhilaration of the rawest form of competition humanity has. You are fighting me for no reason right now, aren't you?"

"Only because you asked."

"Fair enough."

The man struck his fighting stance, a kickboxer's stance, with both fists up and his forward foot raised ever so slightly. Haruka's stance was wider, more solidly grounded. One fist was kept low by her gut, the other curled up next to her head. It was the position she'd seen Uncle Kaz take innumerous times.

The man raised an eyebrow, he came this close to laughing out loud.

"That's an interesting fighting stance. It leaves you wide open though."

He aimed a punch for her chest. Haruka sidestepped the hit, gripping his wrist and pulling him closer for a palm strike to the gut. He stumbled back, clutching the wounded spot but giving a wide grin.

"Oh good. I was afraid you'd disappoint me."

He rushed back in and aimed a kick at the side of her head. Both of Haruka's arms went to one side and she blocked the strike. The man retracted his foot ever so slightly before kicking back again. Haruka ducked the roundhouse and used that as he opportunity to get in. With her front hand, she threw out a straight, one which barely grazed the man's cheek, then she followed it up with an uppercut with her back hand that barely grazed the man's chin. Each blow he avoided, he did so with the biggest smile on his face.

He and Haruka broke apart.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Haruka said.

"You kidding me? This is great!"

The man's stance shifted, he moved fully onto the balls of his feet, like a raptor. When he moved forward again, he was practically gliding along the ground. He threw out a lightning fast punch, one which Haruka barely had time to block. With her face covered, Haruka figured he'd go for a gut punch next, and it was only by guessing this did she move fast enough to swat his fist away from her stomach. She retaliated with a lunge, and the moment her fist whizzed past his ear, he was gone.

Well, only one place he really could be.

Haruka jumped, twisting into a spinning reverse roundhouse. The man ducked underneath her heel and rose up into an uppercut that rocked Haruka's jaw and sent her straight up into the air. Haruka could swear she did a spin and a twirl before crashing down headlong towards the mat. At the last second, she caught herself and rolled into a crouching position, just in time to see the top of the man's foot rushing towards her face. Haruka fell back, letting the kick pass her by. Her arms shot out and grabbed the man's leg just before it got out of reach. With a tug she sent the man crashing to the ground.

Haruka worked fast, twisting herself around the man's exposed leg. He kicked back at her with his free foot, she dodged the strike and used the positioning to lock that leg behind his other. With a full-body tug, she had both his legs bound.

The man slapped the mat and Haruka released her leglock.

"Whoo." He said, getting to his feet. "That was fun."

He offered Haruka a hand and helpfully pulled her up onto her feet as well.

"Thank you very much for the match." Haruka respectfully bowed. "You're very fast."

"Thanks. I try." He looked at Haruka with a broad smile. "Want to go again?"

Haruka paused for just a moment, taking in the sheer excitement behind the man's eyes. She had been hoping to rest up and get back to her routine, but before she knew it, she was nodding to the man's request.

Haruka and the man didn't stop at one extra match, continuously sparring over the next hour or so. Haruka's strong start crumbled under the man's overwhelming speed, at least it did once he got a feel for her patterns. At the end of it all, when it felt like Haruka could barely move anymore, the two of them collapsed onto a nearby bench to sweat and breath heavily. He'd brought a water bottle with him, it took him a minute to find it, but once he did the two of them passed it back and forth.

"You know," the man eventually said. "I completely forgot to ask your name. Slugged you in the jaw and didn't even have the manners."

"Oh." Haruka huffed out. "Right." She bowed her head as well as she could from her relaxed, seated position. "It's Haruka."

"Haruka?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Are we on a first name basis now?"

"Oh." Haruka sank into her seat and huffed harder. "Right. Sorry, bad habit."

"It's fine." He bowed back, as well as he could. "Taro."

"It was very pleasant to meet you, Taro."

"Likewise."

Haruka shifted in her seat.

"What did you mean when you said, you could tell I was a fighter just by looking at me?"

"Why do you ask? Afraid of standing out or something?"

"A little."

"Oh, well," Taro shrugged. "You carry yourself well. You're strong, but you're not trying to front. If a person is trying to look like they can fight, that's one thing. It's another if you can tell they know how without them even trying, you know?"

"Yeah." Haruka's mind began to wander back. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Also, and I don't mean to alarm you, but you have a really big, purple bruise on your forehead."

Haruka sank further into her seat and refused to speak after that.

* * *

Haruka considered that a good enough workout for the day, so she set off back towards Bohemia. Once there, and with a little pressuring from Natsuko, she showered herself off and changed into her jeans and jacket.

The two of them sat at the bar. Haruka had finally agreed to let Natsuko cover up that bruise.

"What's your husband going to think seeing you like this, huh? He'll think you're cheating on him with an abuser or something."

Natsuko was an expert at talking casually while her hands worked perfectly, like a machine's, not a shake or stroke out of place.

"My husband knows exactly what this means, and he's just jealous that I win more fights than he does."

Natsuko's brows furrowed. Her hands didn't falter for a second.

"Is he into that?"

Haruka laughed.

"I don't think so. He fell in love with someone who was a little more docile than who I am now."

"It's bad luck to talk like that, you know."

"And my home life isn't as fragile as you think it is."

"Well, if he can't appreciate who you are now, I happen to know a large community of people who are very, very into that."

"I think we'll be fine, but thanks for the offer."

A sharp knocking came from the door. Natsuko actually paused in her work for a second.

"You weren't expecting anyone, were you?" Haruka asked.

Natsuko placed her kit down on the bar and got to her feet, moving quietly to look through the door's peephole.

"It's those yakuza from earlier." she whispered.

Haruka scowled. Her hands were already bunching up into fists.

"Get in the back." she whispered back. "I'll handle this."

Natsuko moved away from the door, though Haruka noted she refused to leave the room. Haruka took in a deep breath, pulled the door open and raised her fist.

The second the three men on the other side saw her, each of them bowed. They bent perfectly at the middle and lowered their heads as far as they would go. She quickly noticed that the leader's hand was bandaged up, his pinky finger cut off at the joint.

"We would like to offer our humblest apologies for our behavior earlier," he said. "Daughter of the Fourth Chairman, Haruka Sawamura."


	3. Chapter 2: The Jaws of the Beast

Natsuko peered over Haruka's shoulder at the three yakuza bowing in her doorway.

"Okay. You've apologized. Now clear out."

The three yakuza exchanged nervous glances.

"Um, we can't do that."

Haruka took a step forward. The three of them flinched back.

"W- We've been asked to escort Mrs. Sawamura back to the Tojo Clan Headquarters.

"Asked by who?" Haruka demanded.

"Chairman Kuroda!"

"The Chairman?" Natsuko muttered.

Haruka took another step forward.

"I'm not interested in talking to your chairman."

"He wants to make a deal. The chairman says he'll offer this place's continued protection free of charge if you agree to meet with him."

Another step.

"Bohemia doesn't need your protection."

"Tell that to him, not us!"

Haruka lunged forward and grabbed the leader by the collar of his shirt. He yelped like a scared dog.

"Why does the chairman want to meet with me?"

"I don't know!"

Haruka raised her fist.

"I swear! He didn't tell us anything! Just said to convince Sawamura to meet with him back at HQ! Protection is all he gave us! Please! I swear!"

Haruka's eyes narrowed. She studied him. Or at least, she tried to, it was hard to glean anything from an expression that was currently broken in terror. Eventually, however, she pushed him away.

"I'll go." she said.

"Haruka." Natsuko pulled her back inside the bar. "Are you sure about this?"

"He just wants a meeting. I go, I tell him to leave us alone, I come back."

"You really trust the yakuza to keep their word?"

"I…" Haruka chewed on her words for a second. "They're not going to hurt me. They know who I am."

"Well, apparently I don't. Daughter of the Fourth Chairman? What? What's this all about?"

"I'll explain later. Just, please, let me handle this."

Natsuko huffed.

"Fine. Just don't go dying on me. Your shift's in a couple hours, and I need the night off."

Haruka flashed her a smile before turning to glare at the yakuza.

"Let's go." She said, quickly brushing past them.

* * *

The car ride to the Tojo Clan Headquarters was long and silent. The leader tried to make some kind of conversation when he caught Haruka staring at his bandaged hand.

"I have no idea how they found out so fast. Must've really shat the bed though, not back an hour before the bosses were all yelling at me. You can, uh, see how that turned out."

"I hope it hurts."

He didn't try and talk to her after that.

Tojo HQ was exactly as Haruka remembered it. She'd only ever been there a couple times, and each time it had been on amicable terms. Promotions and celebrations on account of Uncle Kaz or Uncle Saejima, those kinds of cordial, friendly events. Despite this, she was still familiar with how meetings here usually went for them.

Back then, the lengthy entrance lot had inspired a sense of importance in Haruka. The first time she'd ever come here, it felt like an ordeal just making it to the front door. The building was so big and so ornate, she felt like she was here to meet a king or a samurai of old. Someone so magnanimous that they transcended time and culture with their importance, and all who saw that had to respect them. That was the power of appearances, and the effect was entirely intentional of course, now Haruka just felt manipulated.

She'd thought, once, that the organization could be a force for good, depending on who was leading them. That's what she'd always heard from people around Uncle Kaz, that the yakuza helped Japanese society as much as it took from them. She had been told that it was a delicate balance, survival and generosity, and that it was up to a good chairman to achieve that balance, even if they had to give everything fighting to preserve it.

Haruka had to admit, she wasn't sure what the Tojo had ever given to her.

She was led through the grand set of mahogany doors, up the lavishly carpeted twin stairs, and down long, sharp hallways before reaching the chairman's meeting room. Grand and open, one side lined with windows, the other had in its center a giant, framed insignia. Marble tiles covered in a luxurious crimson rug. A dozen comfortable armchairs sat across from each other in twin rows, all leading to the one at the head of the room, facing the door. Four of those seats were currently filled.

In the far chair sat the chairman. He was ancient, thin, with shocking white hair, surprisingly still long enough and conditioned enough to be slicked back over his scalp. He wore a black jacket, black tie, and black pants. His white shirt had an almost imperceptibly raised vine pattern running around the collar, but which shone when it caught the light. And finally, hugging his face tight, a pair of completely opaque, thick rimmed sunglasses.

The man on his left was much younger, the youngest in the room, although still at least half a decade Haruka's senior. His black hair was shiny and full of product, styled back and hanging just above his shoulders, temples shaved making it a wide mohawk. Metal studs dotted his face, around his eyebrows, on his nose, and around the outer edge of his ear. Silver rings hung on the bottom of his ear lobes and on his top lip, and a single protruding spike jutted out from just under his bottom lip. He wore a blood red, satin shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a vest, gray in the front, black in the back, over it. Black tie, black pants, black shoes.

On the chairman's right were two men. The one closest to Haruka had sharp features, with a circle beard about his lips, a skunk stripe of white cutting through the black. His hair was styled up into a noticeable pompadour, a bolt of white carved through it as well, with greying sideburns. His blazer and pants were a matching navy blue. His shirt, with its first two buttons undone and collar popped, was a muted pink. Everything he wore was clearly a designer brand, it was designed to clearly be a designer brand, even though Haruka didn't know any actual designer brands that it could've been.

The final man, seated behind the man with the skunk stripe, just looked ragged. His wide lips seemed to naturally sit in a deeply existential frown, the bags under his eyes were deep and dark. His hair resisted the attempts to comb it into a clean and professional part, with a few short strands hanging just above his furrowed forehead. His suit was a solid grey with visible, textured threading. Underneath he wore a plain white shirt and a chocolate colored tie. His shoes were obviously expensive, but they didn't stand out much. Haruka figured she could probably get a pair that looked the same from a thrift store.

As soon as she walked in, the man with the piercings stood up and walked over to her. Before she knew what was happening, he gripped her by the chin, pulling her face to look at him and staring directly into her eyes. She glared back at him. Her mind began to panic, but her body curled its fists at her side. That made him break out into a big smile.

"Oh, I see it now," he said. "You got some real moxie girl, I'd love to get a taste of that."

"Leave her alone, Minami." the ragged man said.

Minami took just a moment before he pulled his hand away from her face and went back to his chair.

"Miss Haruka Sawamura," the chairman started, commanding the room's attention. "Do you know who we are?"

Haruka's scowl deepened.

"I mean nothing by it." he continued. "It's simply good etiquette to know who you do business with. I'm sure all of us here are well familiar with who you are, we wish to return the courtesy."

Haruka gave pause before answering. "No. I don't."

The chairman nodded.

"Very well. I am Kazuhiro Kuroda, Seventh Chairman of the Tojo Clan. These are my three captains." He motioned to the man with the piercings. "Daisaku Minami, Patriarch of the Majima Family." The man with the skunk stripe. "Sho Aikawa, Patriarch of the Aikawa Family." The ragged man. "Kenji Matsushige, Patriarch of the Takasu Association."

"And the reason you've brought me here?"

Kuroda motioned towards the chair facing them that sat in front of her. Haruka didn't move.

"I was told you wanted to negotiate for Bohemia's protection," she continued. "Well here's my answer, we don't need anything from you."

Aikawa leaned forward and growled. "You're a cocky little shit, ain't you. You think any other civilian woulda got an offer like this? You should be thanking your lucky stars we even bothered to give you the time of day!"

"It's quite fine." Kuroda raised his hand to settle Aikawa. "Before we get to business, however, there is something I must ask of you."

Haruka clenched her fists at her side. "I was told we would only be discussing the situation of Bohemia."

"It shouldn't take much more than a moment." Matsushige said.

"Earlier today you met with a man. He approached you, you fought, you talked. Ringing any bells?"

Haruka's eyes went wide.

"Nice poker face." Minami said. "Saves us the trouble of needling you to admit it at any rate."

"Have you been following me?" Haruka asked.

"Course not." Aikawa said. "We were following him."

"We don't want to press you too hard." Matsushige added. "We just wanted to know what he said to you. Any mention of what he planned to do today, where he was going, who he was seeing."

"Nothing." Haruka slowly shook her head. "He didn't say anything."

"Nothing?"

"No. Nothing. Who is he?" No one seemed to have an answer for her. "What were you tailing him for?"

"Don't bullshit us, girl!" Aikawa slammed a fist into his armrest.

"I don't know anything!" Haruka insisted.

"Just answer the question and we'll be done with the topic." Matsushige said.

"I'm telling you, I've never met the man in my life. He approached me, asked me to spar with him, then left after we were done. He didn't tell me anything. I don't know who he is or what he's doing now. If that's all you wanted from me, then I'm leaving."

"Well, if she's leaving, I am too." Minami said, pushing himself up.

"Minami!" Kuroda growled. Minami sank back into his chair with a groan. "Miss Sawamura please, if you have the time, we have one more request to make of you."

Haruka simply turned and walked. She was already at the door before anyone could speak, pushed it half open and had just taken her first step out.

"The Tojo Clan is dying." Matsushige said plainly.

Haruka stopped, her palm pressed against the wood. Slowly she looked over her shoulder towards the man that addressed her.

"He's right." Kuroda said with a sigh. "Police crackdowns, public distrust, high turnover and low admissions. The Tojo Clan is dying, slowly but surely. The crows have already begun to peck at our eyes, and there's nothing we can do about it. Not now. Not anymore." He looked up. Haruka couldn't say for sure, but something told her he was gazing straight into her eyes. "But things were different back in the heyday. Even when we had come under the gravest of perils, we managed to stay strong and keep together. We survived because our people were always able to rally around a single idea. A single person's idea. A figurehead that, despite it all, had the uncanny ability to inspire hope in everyone he came across."

"The Dragon of Dojima." Haruka muttered.

"Your father kept us afloat even when times were darkest. No matter what risk needed to be taken, he threw himself at the danger with a fearless fervor. He was a man anyone would follow into battle in a heartbeat. My request is simply this." Kuroda took off his sunglasses, fully revealing his face. His left eye was a calm brown, the skin around it etched with lines of age. His right was milky white, a deep scar passing through the lid. "As his child, heir to the title, take the legacy of the dragon and help us reclaim that hope, so that we can survive now."

Haruka slowly let the door fall closed again and turned to face the four men.

"You want me to join you?"

"We want you to help us."

Haruka let silence linger over the room, let the impact of such a final request sink in for those who witnessed it.

"Either this is a sick joke or you're delusional."

Of the four of them, only Kuroda and Aikawa seemed taken aback. Minami was scarcely paying attention, but Matsushige continued to stare at her, stone faced.

"You want me to save the Tojo Clan? Me? Chairman Kuroda, the people you want me to bring hope to, 17 years ago they took my mother from me. 6 years ago they took my father. The Tojo Clan bulldozed the only home I've ever had. They tortured and killed the people close to me. The dragon who helped you so much, I was the bait you used to draw him out when he tried to leave. I have no doubt in my mind that every single one of you that's been left alive is a liar and a thief and a murderer and there's not an ounce of honor shared among you. You want me to save you? So you can keep your grip on this despicable patch of concrete just a little bit longer? Chairman Kuroda, if the Tojo Clan is on its death bed, then the only thing I plan to do is push the knife deeper."

"You little shit!" Aikawa shot to his feet. "You'll stand there and preach to us about honor, then sit back and let your old man's name rot? After all the shit he went through?"

"If you needed Kazuma Kiryu so much then your chairman shouldn't have shot him in the heart."

Haruka turned on the spot and marched back towards the door.

"Sawamura." Haruka spared one last glance back when Kuroda spoke. He'd put his sunglasses back on. "I will inform the families that Bohemia is off limits. Thank you for meeting with us."

Haruka didn't thank him as she left.

She brushed off the cronies as they tried to lead her back to the entrance. She remembered the way.

She marched from corridor to corridor, focusing only enough on where she was going to not get lost. Entering back into the entrance hall's second floor, however, she was given a reason to pause. Haruka looked down over the banister and saw at least two dozen men in unbuttoned black suits staring back up at her.

This was not the respectful greeting she'd entered to. Each man had his fists bunched up at his side, stance in various, readied stances. Determination and fury burned in their vision.

"What is this?" Haruka muttered.

"This is the fun part, sweetheart!" She turned to see Minami strolling out into the hall himself. "Call it tradition, call it payback for what ya said back there, fuck it, call it whatever you want. I just wanna see you in action before I start getting serious about this."

Haruka fixed him with a glare. "I'm not doing this. You can't make me."

"Ah, well. Don't really have to. The orders I gave were something like, uh, 'The girl doesn't leave this building alive', or something. And my boys ain't ever failed me on an order."

Haruka scowled.

"Aw, cheer up! I told you, this is the fun part." He gave Haruka an encouraging pat on the back. "Off you go, then."

Haruka sighed. Then stepped forward. Then took a running start, jumping up, planting one shoe on the edge of the banister, and shooting off over the crowd. Most of the men started backing away, but one stood still, dumbstruck and staring as Haruka descended on him. Her knee crunched into his face and slammed it down into the carpeted floor beneath him.

Haruka got to her feet. Her hood was already down, but her ponytail was still spooled down into it. She let it loose now, sending it twisting and writing down to the small of her back like a dragon in flight.

"The next person to step to me, dies."

The men surrounding her froze for just a second, evaluating that threat, pairing it no doubt with whatever Minami was planning on doing to them if they failed.

Eventually they compromised, and all charged at once. Haruka sighed.

She shot out an elbow to the man running in behind her, smashing into his mouth. She then reached back, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him over her shoulder to slam his forehead into another man's.

She threw out a straight, a hook, a reverse roundhouse. Each strike instantly put a man on the floor. Men were sent flying back away from her as fast as they ran in, each one at a different angle, forcing Haruka to constantly turn, her attention always shifting from one attacker to the next. As the fight continued, Haruka started losing herself, throwing more and more into every punch.

A man threw a clumsy lunge to her head. Haruka shifted slightly, letting the punch slide past her ear, and slipped behind the man. She locked his head and arm in the crook of her own, forcing his arm straight up. She then jumped forward, slamming her heel into another man's face and pushing off, flipping up and over the man, quickly pulling him off of his feet. The toe of her shoe whacked another man over the head and down into the ground, and she landed on one knee, slamming the grappled man's head into the floor.

That was all of them. No, almost all of them, she heard a man get to his feet behind her. He gave a battle cry as he charged her, possibly just trying to push himself forward. Haruka didn't look, she simply threw a flat hand back and caught him in the throat. He fell back to the ground, wheezing.

Haruka leaped over the still bodies that surrounded her and ran towards the front doors. She grabbed both handles and flung them wide open. Just outside, four men with machine guns noticed her and turned and aimed. Haruka slammed the doors back closed. On the other end she heard the bullets pound into the wood of the door, but thankfully failed to drill through.

"Holy shit." Minami laughed, still on the second floor. "I didn't tell them to do that. How the hell's our hero gonna make it out of this one?"

Haruka ignored him and ran past the stairs and down a corridor towards her right. At its end, she saw the bright green, glowing exit sign and raced down towards it.

A door to her right was suddenly blasted off its hinges in front of her. Haruka skid to a stop.

Three men came out. Two of them looked like the same trash she'd just torn through, but the third stood above the rest. Quite literally, the man was 6'10" and built like a brick house. Haruka jumped to the side, pushing off of the wall and catching one of the regular guy's head in a roundhouse, one which slammed it into the big guy's pec. The big guy didn't budge an inch at the impact, leaving Haruka to fall awkwardly back to her feet, and the man she hit to slump to the ground.

The big guy charged, Haruka ducked low and took his midsection a bear hug. Her fingers had no hope of touching each other, and as she tried to push she realized that neither did his back and the ground.

The big guy leaned forward, letting himself fall on top of her. Haruka tried to support his weight and keep him up, but that started failing really quickly.

At the last second, she slipped out from under him, hearing him crash to the ground and not wanting to waste any more time than that checking. She darted forward and kicked off the wall again, rocking the other normal man's face with a flying superman punch that floored him in a second. She took off for the door again, hoping to leave the big guy in her dust.

She burst out through the small, emergency exit, and took the time to shield her eyes to the sudden light. A couple of men were yelling in front of her. After the next few seconds she was finally able to see them, she saw both of them charging right at her.

Haruka stepped forward, slipping between the attack, tripping one guy and sending him flying face first into the closed door behind her. She shot her leg back, slamming it into the guy's head and the guy's head, conversely, into the door, and he slumped. As she moved, she grabbed the back of the other man's jacket and threw him back. He hit a waist-high fence and stumbled back, struggling to regain his balance. Once he did, hands stabilizing him on the fence, he looked up at Haruka with a smirk. She met it with a punch that launched him back, sending his head through the paper lantern behind him.

She pushed open the big wooden gates and entered into the side garden. A large pond bisected the area, with an island in the middle and bridges connecting all three bodies of land. The far side ended in a large shack and had another wooden gate next to it. Five guys hung around just in front of her, quickly taking notice of her. One of them, the one closest to her, carried a metal bat. Haruka darted forward to take them on. Then she stopped as the big guy hooked his arms under hers and lifted her off the ground.

Haruka struggled, but the big guy's grip was like iron. The guy with the bat stepped forward and started swinging into her. Each blow took the wind out of her, making it harder and harder to struggle against the big guy's grip. Some of the other guys pitched in with a jab or a gut shot when they got the chance. She could feel a dozen more ugly, purple bruises forming around her body as she tried to hang onto her focus. The guy with the bat cocked back, ready to deliver an out of the park swing straight to Haruka's head.

Haruka steadied herself, dangled listlessly for a moment like she was being crucified, then as soon as the guy with the bat stepped forward, she kicked forward and flipped herself up. The bat connected solidly with the big guy's stomach, sending him stumbling back. Haruka kicked out as she fell back down, slamming her heel into the guy with the bat's chin, and squirming her way out of the big guy's grip. She picked up the bat and started swinging at the rest of the group, each hit knocking a man off of his feet.

The bat suddenly jerked from her grip with a sharp 'ping'. She looked up, seeing the last one of them pointing a pistol at her, finger gripping the trigger. She scrambled forward, ducking the next shot, and bridged the gap enough to grab his wrist and divert the next two shots into the ground. She then shoved her arm down and pulled his trigger finger herself, shooting the man in the foot. He collapsed onto the ground and clutched the wound. Haruka kicked the gun into the water.

The big guy had recovered by now and dove for Haruka. She jumped away and darted across the two bridges onto the other side. A man burst through the wooden gate on the other side. Haruka unceremoniously shoved him into the pond.

Through two more sets of gates and Haruka found herself back in the parking lot. She ran out past the marble wall and hedge and past the stairs leading up to the front door from the side and doubled back to the marble wall when the four guys with the machine guns opened fire.

The big guy was approaching on her rear now, and she could hear the footsteps of the machine gun guys coming in on her front. She started backing up back towards the gates.

The big guy got to her first. He wrapped both hands around her throat, though honestly he could've done it with one, and lifted her off her feet again. Haruka acted quickly while she still had blood in her brain to think with. She kicked her leg out and swung it back, smashing directly into the big guy's crotch while she was still close enough to the ground to reach. He doubled over, letting Haruka drop to the ground and gasp for air on her hands and knees.

The guys with machine guns rounded the corner and had their guns up in a second. Haruka scrambled to her feet and ran behind the big guy just as they started shooting. He jerked back for each bullet that slammed into his chest, but stood standing after the machine gun guys realized what exactly they'd done and stopped. Haruka shoved the big guy forward, his titanic mass finally giving way, and he stumbled a few steps forward. She took a step back, then ran, building up as much speed as she could in the limited distance.

When she was a step away from the big guy she leaped. Both feet left the ground and struck the big guy in the back with as much force as she could muster. In turn, the big guy's feet finally left the ground. Mere inches they lifted up, as he launched forward. Both he and Haruka fell at the same time, Haruka hit the pavement on her stomach, catching as much of the fall as she could with her hands, the big guy collapsed forward, crushing all four of the machine gun guys underneath him.

Haruka scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could, vaulted over the five of them and charged out into the parking lot towards the entrance gate, already held wide open for her. She hadn't had a plan for how to get anywhere by foot, but was surprised to see a car waiting for her on the street just outside anyways. The driver rolled the window down and yelled out to her "Get in!"

She did just that, pulling the passenger's side door open and clambering into the car. Her feet hadn't left the pavement before the driver hit the accelerator and they sped away. One last glance back at the building, and she saw Minami, just outside the front doors, with the biggest smile he'd worn all day.

A few minutes passed before anyone said anything. Haruka, finally given time to breath, laid her head back in her seat and panted. The driver never took his eyes off the road, but refused to drop the incredibly stern look etched into each of his aged wrinkles.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" asked Makoto Date.


	4. Chapter 3: Come to Terms

Haruka sat at Bohemia's bar. She took in a deep breath, letting the smoke of her cigarette do its work.

"You smoke now?" Date asked.

Haruka fixed him with a look. Date had a matching cigarette sat between his own lips.

"Fair enough."

"You want to explain any of this to me, Haruka?" Natsuko asked. "Who's this guy?"

"Date," he said. "Makoto Date. I'm a detective for the Tokyo Police, Organized Crime Unit. I was also friends with her old man, back in the day."

"Ah yes, the mythical dad. Been hearing about him a lot recently." Haruka's unimpressed gaze shifted to her. "Look, you said you'd explain later, and it's later. Your father was a Tojo chairman? Seriously? What are you doing here then?"

"Sorry for not telling you." Haruka said. "I didn't want to deal with the crowd you attract when you throw around the name of a high-ranking yakuza. I'm surprised you didn't already know, the information isn't exactly private anymore."

"I'll admit, I kind of thought the story ended at ex-idol."

"So you did know about that, then."

"Cursory background check. I chose not to dig deeper out of respect for your privacy. People like that only end up working in places like this if they really want to bury their past, you know. I just - didn't think the Tojo would be involved. Let alone some infamous yakuza that immediately commands the respect of the entire Clan. So spit it out already, who is this guy."

"The name Kiryu ring any bells?" Date asked.

"Not particularly."

"Kazuma Kiryu?"

Natsuko shook her head no.

"Huh. Didn't think there was anyone left in the city that hadn't heard of him."

"It's not that strange anymore." Haruka said. "Natsuko only moved here 8 years ago. He was still in jail then. Wasn't around Kamurocho much after getting out either, and that's when he…"

"Wow," Date's gaze went distant. "Has it really been that long?"

"I'm… sorry for your loss." Natsuko said, awkwardly. "None of this is really answering my question, though."

"Kazuma Kiryu," Date said. "The Dragon of Dojima. He's the biggest legend in Japan's underground. I've watched that man wade into a crowd of a hundred armed yakuza and come out without a scratch."

"He was a brave man." Haruka added. "Brave and selfless. Whenever he came across a person in need, no matter how small a problem they had, he couldn't stop himself from helping them."

"He was capable of single-handedly stopping a gang war before it could start. It was never a question of whether he'd win or lose, just who he would tear down and how soon it would be over."

"He never cared if he came back alive, just that he was able to protect the people he cared for. He had the scariest face in the world, he'd have thugs cowering on the floor with a stare, but he also had the softest heart I'd ever seen. Anyone who knew him for more than a minute couldn't help but become friends with him."

"Wow." Natsuko said simply. "He sounds like a hell of a guy. And he was – a Tojo chairman?"

"Briefly." Date said.

"What happened to him then? How are you this strapped for cash if you're a yakuza princess?"

"Well, I'm not. Not exactly. He retired back in, um," she turned to Date. "2007?"

"2005." he corrected. "December of 05 was the 10 billion yen incident."

"Right. That was the first time I met Uncle Kaz. He must've saved me a dozen times in a single night. It wasn't until after he retired that we became a real family though. Until now, I haven't had any kind of connection with the Clan."

"What changed?" Natsuko asked.

"That's what I want to know, too." Date said. "What were you doing at Tojo HQ today?"

Haruka fixed him with another look.

"Don't look at me. I was there for you."

"Bull. You didn't even know I was in the city until now."

"Someone called the police, said their friend got taken away by some yakuza, and I ended up with the short straw. I was preparing to have to deliver the bad news when you came running out."

"Oh." Natsuko said. "Yeah, that was me."

"You called the cops on me?"

"What? No. I called the cops on them. Haruka I was worried for you. What if they were just trying to lure you away to – I don't know – kidnap you or kill you or something? What if I never saw you again and I had to live knowing I did nothing to try and help?"

Haruka looked away and took a drag on her cigarette.

"I told you I could handle things."

"Haruka, you're the strongest person I've ever met, but you're still human. You can't dive into every situation on your own and expect to make it out fine. You ran straight into the heart of the Tojo Clan without a plan, why wouldn't I be worried about you? Asking for help doesn't make you a coward, you know, we can look out for each other."

"It's nothing to do with being called a coward."

"Then what is it?"

"It's pride." Date said. "Her pride won't let her rely on anyone else to do what she feels she needs to do. Same pride her old man had."

"Don't tell me you agree with her, Detective."

"Of course not. That pride's only going to make things harder for everyone. I'm assuming that's the reason you never called me or my wife about a job. If you were planning on bartending anyways, she could've used the extra hands. We'd take care of you."

"I didn't want to put you out."

"You wouldn't know if we'd be put out until you ask."

"People never want to call me a burden to my face."

"Nobody's calling you a burden, Haruka."

"I don't think you're a burden." Natsuko added.

"I got a job in the city, I'm doing fine, what does it matter who I'm working for?"

"It matters because there are people out there who want to help you. You don't need to reject them just because you're afraid of being seen asking for help."

"I told you it's not like that. I don't care about asking for help."

"Then do it. Let people help you. Haruka, I think every day about what would've happened if I had been there on the docks that day. If Kiryu had just put aside his need to do everything himself and called the police, or asked me personally to bring backup, let me cover him, if he had let me do even that, then he wouldn't have had to-"

"Stop." Haruka said through grit teeth. She took in a shaky breath. "Stop. You don't get to talk about him like that, Date."

Haruka stamped her cigarette into the ash tray, putting it out. The concern was etched into Date's face, but he didn't say anything.

"Earlier today," Haruka eventually said. "When I was at the gym, a man named Taro approached me. We didn't really talk about anything, he just wanted to spar with me. He's the actual reason the Tojo Clan wanted to see me. Apparently they've been keeping tabs on him, or at least they've been trying to. But now he's disappeared and they thought I'd know where he went."

"Taro?" Date asked. "Any last name?"

Haruka shook her head. "He didn't say."

"And you don't actually know where this guy went to, do you?"

"No. But I'm going to find out."

Natsuko and Date exchanged a look.

"Haruka, you really don't have to-"

"This is a matter that's better left to the police-"

"The Tojo Clan are desperate to find him," Haruka continued. "Desperate enough that they were ready to try and recruit me. And when the Tojo are desperate, people wind up dead."

Natsuko frowned, but Date gave an understanding nod.

"Alright. I'll start looking into this Taro, see if there's anyone the Tojo would be interested in with that name."

Haruka hopped off her stool and onto her feet. "I'll go out and ask around where I saw him last. Maybe the people working at the gym will know something."

"Haruka, wait." Natsuko said.

"You can't stop me." Haruka turned to face her. "I have to do this, Natsuko. I refuse to let those monsters hurt anyone else. I have to."

"I can stop you, because I'm still your boss. Your shift starts in an hour, and you still need to shower off from your second workout today and get all of your bruises covered again before you start getting ready."

Haruka stopped, fishing her phone out from her pocket.

She had not realized it was already so late.

"Detective Date," she said, turning to head into the back. "Call me if you find out anything about Taro."

"Will do." As Haruka made her way up the stairs, she heard him continuing to talk to Natsuko. "But if you wouldn't mind, maybe you could open up early? For me? I did bring Haruka home safe, and I could use a drink."

* * *

For her shift, Haruka had her hair worked into a lengthy braid that she kept draped over one shoulder. She wore a red dress shirt, top two buttons undone, with the sleeves rolled up all the way to her shoulders and a black skirt. Natsuko had asked her when she first started working to wear heels, but Haruka had protested as much as she thought she could get away with. She hadn't worn anything with any height to it since her work as an idol, and she'd eventually been able to convince Natsuko that, as the closest thing Bohemia had to a bouncer, convenience of movement would be appreciated.

It wasn't entirely accurate, Haruka could walk in heels just fine, hell she used to dance in them, but she still didn't like wearing them and took whatever excuse she could get not to.

The bouncer part, however, was still entirely accurate, as she continued to prove. Haruka hefted a full grown, only semi-conscious man by the back of his shirt and hurled him onto the dark streets just outside.

"What the hell?" the man slurred out. "B- Bitch, I wasn't even- doin' nothin'."

"You tried to deck another customer in the face."

"Ssssho what? My" hiccup "old man did worse to me."

"That sounds like a personal problem, sir."

"He had it comin'. Talkin- Talkin' trash on Magica- Magi- Magipro like that. Bet he only follows that Sword Art crap cause it's popular. Doesn't" hiccup "Doesn't have any appreciation for actual storytellin'."

"Aren't you a little old to be reading those comics, sir?"

"Light novels!" he snapped back. "It's literature!"

"Get home safely, sir." Haruka ended the conversation by closing the door.

Almost closed the door, it was open just a crack, just enough for her to hear someone on the other side.

"Hey!" the drunk yelled. "Wash where yer goin'."

"Sorry about that."

Haruka froze. She recognized the second voice almost immediately. That was Taro speaking, she was sure of it.

She flung the door open and rushed out into the night. In her sprint, she shoved past the drunk and sent him sprawling to the ground. She didn't stop long enough to apologize.

Bursting onto Senryo Avenue, her eyes quickly scanned the bustling crowd, searching for Taro. By all accounts he should've been the easiest man in the world to spot, tall and wide and with distinctive hair, but Haruka didn't see him anywhere.

She spotted something else, the three yakuza from before, lingering around the Champion District's entrance. Haruka ran up to their leader, spun him around, grabbed him by the lapel, and raised a fist into the air.

"Why are you following me?" she yelled.

"Aaaaaaah!" the man yelled back.

Haruka blinked. The suit was the same color, but just slightly off, might've been a different brand. His hand was still bandaged, but he had all of his fingers. Now that she looked, this was clearly a different guy.

His two friends pushed Haruka off of him.

"What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, I-" she stammered. "Sorry."

Haruka gave the crowd one last scan, hoping to see Taro's towering figure among it. No such luck. She ducked back into the Champion District, her faced burning hot with shame. Hopefully that drunk guy had stumbled somewhere else by now.

She needed to get back to Bohemia as soon as possible. Natsuko would kill her if she found out she'd left the bar unattended for this long.


	5. Side Story: The Chain of Command

Haruka woke up the next morning to the sound of arguing downstairs. She blearily checked her phone. Apparently, she'd gotten an astonishing 5 hours of sleep.

Good enough.

Haruka stepped down into the bar yawning, tugging up her hair tie, wearing what she had slept in, a white tank top and grey pajama pants, and entirely barefoot. On the other end of things, Natsuko always seemed ready to tackle the day as soon as it began, she was already dressed in black slacks and a pale blue blouse with makeup and jewelry immaculately adorning her features.

Standing on the other side of the doorway was a man in a gaudy red suit, his white shirt had a popped collar and several buttons undone, showing the thin gold chains around his neck. He had dark sunglasses on, the thinnest of developing mustaches, and his hair was done up in an exaggerated pompadour.

Behind him, cardboard boxes were stacked so high that Haruka couldn't see anything past them.

"What's going on here?" Haruka yawned.

"Who's this?" the man asked. "Your roommate? Your girlfriend?"

"Employee." Natsuko said.

"Well," he continued, shifting his attention to Haruka. "Your butt buddy here ordered a metric ass ton of supplies from my company and now she won't pay up."

"Why would you do that?" Haruka asked her.

"Finally, someone sensible," he said.

"Would you shut up?" Natsuko snapped.

"Natsuko," Haruka said. "If you owe him money, you should probably just pay him."

"I don't owe him money, Haruka. I didn't order any of this crap, it's some kind of scam."

Haruka's gaze sharpened in an instant. She turned on the man, marching him back a few paces with her approach.

"Woah woah woah!" the man said, raising his hands. "Listen lady, I have a signature here that says the owner of this bar agreed to the purchase of these products."

"I didn't sign anything, sleazebag."

"If you have a problem with that, I'd suggest you take it up with a lawyer." A smile started to part his lips. "Unless you really want to make a big deal about it here and now. Don't mind beating down a couple of broads. In self-defense of course."

"Are you inviting me to punch you?"

In response he just smiled wider and stuck he cheek forward.

Haruka cracked her knuckles. Natsuko sighed.

Haruka planted one foot down and her right fist rocketed forward, slamming the man's face with a hook that knocked his feet off the ground and left him spinning in the air. When he finally landed, face up and spread eagle, he wasn't given enough time to recover before Haruka swung a foot at his face. The kick crunched into his cheek and knocked his head back where it promptly banged into the side of the bar.

"Ow, fuck!" Haruka lifted a leg to start stomping him. "Wait! Wait!"

Haruka gave him a second to compose himself, curled up on the ground as he was.

"I can't do anything about the product. I didn't ship any of it here, I was just the muscle to convince you to pay for it!"

Haruka placed both feet on the ground. She reached down and grabbed the man by his pompadour, dragging him up against the bar.

"Where do I have to go to get this returned?"

"Ack! Come on man, not the hair! Okay okay, all this stuff came from a warehouse, out on the docks! Ika Distributions! Y-You'll have to talk to them."

Haruka didn't say anything, just kept a hold of his hair as she led him out Bohemia's front door and tossed him into the street.

"Don't let me catch you around here again."

The man didn't respond, just scrambled to his feet and ran off.

"You know," Natsuko said. "No one's trying to force me to pay for this crap anymore. You could just leave this here."

"And block off the street?"

"No, I mean – 'this'. This crusade you're about to go on."

Haruka turned back to face Natsuko.

"All right. Fine. Go ahead."

"Uncle Kaz used to always tell us, that if we didn't punish the dog for chewing the furniture it would know it could get away with it."

"I get you. Just be back for your shift tonight. You know how these people love to drag everything out."

* * *

Haruka's taxi arrived on the docks shortly thereafter (given time to change into her hoodie and jeans). It was a snap to find the location of Ika Distributions' warehouse with her phone, so she paid the driver and stepped out front. Two very large men were there, loading box after box into the back of a truck. The same boxes that had been stacked out front of Bohemia. One of the men had short, spiky hair sticking straight up, with a full mustache and beard, the other was completely hairless in the face, bald and clean shaven.

"Hey!" Haruka called out.

The two men didn't pause in their work, pushing their current boxes onto the truck's bed before turning to face her.

"You lost or something?" the bald one asked.

"I'm looking for Ika Distribution's warehouse."

"That would be here." the beard one said.

"Who's in charge?"

"That would be us."

"I was delivered packages this morning that I didn't order, I'd like to return them. Your thin skinned muscle told me I had to talk to you."

The bald one rolled his eyes and went back to moving boxes. The beard one gave Haruka the barest acknowledgement.

"Sorry lady, we don't do refunds. So long as the product isn't defective."

The beard one then joined his coworker in ignoring Haruka. She stepped between them and the truck.

"I'm not asking for a refund, I just want you to get rid of all the boxes."

"We're on a time crunch here," the bald one said. "Either move out of our way or we'll move you out of our way."

Haruka shrugged her shoulders and took her fighting stance. The two guys exchanged a glance before putting their boxes down.

The bald one went for it first, tossing out a lazy backhand that he didn't expect Haruka to duck and counter with a palm strike that dislocated his shoulder.

The beard one was stunned for only half a second before he charged forward, arms spread wide. He scooped Haruka up into a bear hug, she could feel the pressure on her spine as she struggled and kicked against him.

The beard one's grip was like iron, Haruka's squirming couldn't pry her loose, but she was eventually able to shift her positioning a little. Just enough to get an arm free.

With her newfound freedom, Haruka's hand shot to the beard one's face, jabbing a finger in each eye. His grip fell dead immediately as he stumbled back and brought both hands to his face. Haruka fell to one knee, recovering from the pain in her back.

The beard one didn't give her much time to recover though, he charged forward with burning red eyes. A step before he reached Haruka, he jumped, flipped mid air, and fell with his back towards her. A perfectly performed senton, an attempt to finish her off while she was weakened.

Haruka brought both her hands up. When the beard one landed on her, she caught him in either palm. Muscles straining, teeth grit, eyes bulging, she slowly got to her feet, holding the surprised man over her head as she rose until finally she stood again. With one last burst of exertion, she threw the man to the ground, where he impacted painfully and stayed, thoroughly winded.

Haruka turned, shifting her attention back to the bald one, still on the ground and nursing his injured arm. He immediately noticed her noticing him.

"Wait!" he yelled. "Wait wait, hold on."

"What?"

"Look, I meant what I said, we're on a tight schedule. We can't just take the time off to go someplace and take a whole load back, we'll get canned for that. You'll have to take it up with the people who set the schedule, they'll give us a time for to come over and grab the stuff. Alright?"

Haruka sighed.

"And where are these people?"

"Kamurocho. The Ika Distributions office at the very south end of Tenkaichi Boulevard."

"And you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Swear! Everyone up there's a stickler for procedure, I'd rather get beat up a hundred times before I mess up their schedule."

Haruka gave the man one last glare before turning and walking away from the warehouse.

* * *

After taking a taxi all the way back to Kamurocho, Haruka found herself where the Tenkaichi Boulevard road exited onto a busy street, double checking her phone to make sure she had the right place.

Up two flights of stairs and through a door that had been locked, Haruka entered into a cushy, carpeted hallway. At the very end was a door with a fake-golden plaque on its front, she couldn't make it out exactly, but it looked like it said "Ika Distributions" on it, and in front of that was a tall American guy in a black suit standing guard.

It was a straight hallway, so Haruka didn't have much of a chance to not be seen.

"Are you lost?" the American asked.

"I have business here."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm about to make one."

"Ma'am, I will need you to come back some other time, when you have an appointment."

Haruka took a deep breath and ran for the door. The American reached into his coat and pulled out a taser gun. As he pulled the trigger, coils bursting from the gun and lunging towards Haruka, she ducked down, sliding the rest of the gap between the two of them on her knees and watching the sparking taser coils pass inches in front of her face. As she began to slow down, now on the American, she cocked a fist back and shot it out, nailing him right between the legs.

Haruka's fist impacted painfully onto something solid and hard.

Her eyes widened with the realization, and some slight pain in her knuckles. He was… wearing a cup…

The American reached down to grab at her, and she did her best to scramble between his legs before he could. She stood up as he turned around, and with his shifting footing, she took the opportunity to shove him back, knocking him up against the wall. She turned, jumped against the opposite wall, then pushed off and rammed her whole body into him, burying him in the plaster. The American took a moment before slumping to the ground.

Haruka kicked the door in and burst into the office behind it, the few salarymen working there looking up from their computers in shock.

"Who do I have to speak to in order to return some product?"

"Wh- What?" the nearest salaryman said.

"This morning I got a bunch of packages that I didn't order, and your thin-skinned muscle told me to go to the docks, where your dumb as rocks delivery guys told me to talk to you about scheduling a return."

"Why didn't you just schedule an appointment?"

"Because I want your crap gone now!" She pounded a nearby desk to get her point across. The nearest salaryman got the message and immediately began typing on his computer.

"Right, um… what was the address of the delivery?"

"160-0013, Champion District."

After a brief moment of typing, the salaryman looked awfully nervous about something.

"Oh, well, um…"

"Oh no…"

"An order can only be cancelled or returned by the agent who scheduled the delivery in the first place. I'm very sorry."

"So? Which one of you was it?"

"That's the thing, this delivery was scheduled by - the chairman of our company. His office is in our parent corporation's office. You have to go ask him about it."

"And where is that?" Haruka asked through grit teeth.

"Millennium Tower, fifth floor. Itachizame and Co."

Haruka growled as she turned on her heel and stomped back out. She slammed the door back loosely into its frame as she left.

* * *

Haruka burst onto the fifth floor of the Millennium Tower huffing like mad, fully winded by having to fight her way through the building's much more notable security. She staggered to the doorman's desk.

"Ika Distributions chairman," she gasped out. "Where is he?"

"Um," the woman stammered, torn between remaining professional and questioning Haruka's presence. "Down the hallway there, two doors to the right."

"Thanks."

Haruka followed the polite lady's instructions, catching a second wind with the brief respite. This office was a lot fancier than the previous one, shining white tiled floor, with an equally blinding white paint on the walls. Every door was little more than a plane of glass with a silver bar for a handhold, and every office was seemingly a window office.

At the very least it made it easy to see that the chairman was in and at his desk.

He was young, lean, in a crisp and expensive looking black suit and tie. His hair was shiny and parted, heavily styled but subtly so. His glasses alone probably cost more than what Haruka made in a month.

Haruka burst into the office. The chairman looked up from his computer, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Can I help you?"

"This morning your company dumped a ton of packages onto my doorstep that I didn't order. Your thin-skinned muscle told me to go to the docks, where your rocks for brains delivery guys told me to go to your offices, where your spineless salarymen told me to come to you."

"What's wrong with the product?"

"Nothing, but I didn't order any of it! You sent the crap to me, now take it back!"

The chairman stood up from his desk.

"I don't appreciate you barging into my office and attempting to strongarm me with accusations of things I haven't even done. This isn't some kind of scam is it?"

Haruka silently fumed.

"Regardless, I'll just have to teach you some manners."

The chairman took a fighting stance, his hands held out flat instead of curled into fists, his breathing steady and his movements almost unnoticeable. That was – a taekwondo back stance, she believed.

"Fine," Haruka said as she took her own stance. "But you better not pass the buck when I beat you to a pulp."

Haruka threw the first punch, a punch that the chairman redirected with ease. He responded with a flat jab to Haruka's throat. Haruka leaned back to avoid the hit, watched the flat of his palm pass inches from her face as she basically bent in half backwards.

The scene sat in stillness for a moment, just long enough for Haruka to really want to move.

She put her weight back fully onto her hands and spun, kicking the chairman's hand away and landing on her hands and feet but belly down this time.

The chairman kicked up at her face, Haruka swung to the side to dodge. She pushed up with her legs, tackling the chairman and moving them towards the wall. Her hand gripped the back of his head and she pushed, attempting to slam his face into it, but he slipped out of her grip with a spin, leaving her fingers to impact against the wall painfully.

Next came her face, as the chairman's elbow slammed into the back of her head and smashed it into the wall. The punch he followed up with hit the same spot with a similar result.

Haruka staggered away from the wall, glaring daggers as blood trickled down her forehead. She stepped towards the chairman with a hook that would knock his head off as he stepped forward with a jab to her throat that would kill the air before she could breathe it.

"Wait!"

The two of them froze, eyes shifting to the door as someone else ran in.

It was the muscle, the guy with the pompadour who had tried to foist the boxes onto Natsuko to begin with. He burst into the office and laid himself out on the ground, shoving his forehead against the tiled floor.

"I'm so sorry, bro! It's all my fault!"

The chairman looked down at the muscle, curiously.

"Shigeki?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I- It was me! I just wanted Ika Distributions to be as big as you dreamed it could be!"

"Stand up, Shigeki. Explain what's going on, I'm so confused."

Shigeki got to his feet shakily. He tried his best to stand up straight, but it was obvious he had run all the way here and was breathing heavily as a result.

"Remember when I told you? I said that if Ika Distributions would ever get as big as your dreams for it, that we would have to get more assertive with our sales."

"And I shot your idea down, I said that I would make it my own way, without resorting to tactics like that."

"Forgive me bro. Forgive me, Tanaka. I just wanted to help the company in any way I could. The only thing I've ever had is my looks. So, I used your account to make a large delivery that wasn't ordered, then tried to intimidate the people receiving so they'd pay for it anyways."

Tanaka turned to Haruka. "And I'm guessing that's where you come in."

"I just want the stuff returned." she said.

"Yes, of course. Shigeki," he turned back and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know why I'm so desperate to make Ika Distributions a success?"

"Well, it's your dream isn't it? To make it big in distribution?"

"No, Shigeki. It's our dream. I haven't forgotten what you've put into Ika Distributions, all your hopes and ideas. I want to make it big so that we can share in our success, and I want to pay you back for everything you've given me over the years. And that's why we need to make sure our future is built on a foundation of legitimate business and good will."

Shigeki let out a loud sniff, holding back the tears. "Bro?"

"Now come on, we need to make sure our customer is satisfied. I'll schedule a truck to come pick up the product right away, ma'am."

"Thanks." Haruka said. "Not that I was really a customer, but thanks."

"Oh, yeah." Shigeki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and turned to face Haruka. "But I mean hey, if you ever actually need something delivered, you know we can do it now, so consider Ika Distributions."

"Right. Sure. I'll keep that in mind."

Haruka sighed. Why does it seem like customer service always sends you around the loop to end up right back where you started?


	6. Chapter 4: The Calm Surface

Haruka collapsed onto a bench in Theater Square, fanning herself with the return receipt she'd gotten from the Ika Distributions guy. It was too hot today to be running around like this.

And yet, she knew she was going to anyways.

She had at least one lead to follow up on, which would involve asking around the gym, and she'd likely be able to look further into Taro's whereabouts once Date got back to her-

-phone rang.

Haruka dived, fishing it out of her pocket as fast as she could manage.

Yuta wanted to facetime.

Haruka felt bad about how disappointing that message had been to read. She smoothed out her hair, wiped away the last trickle of blood from her forehead, pressed the answer button and put on her best smile. Yuta didn't return the favor.

"Hey," she said. Her smile dipped and mirrored his seriousness. "What's up?"

Yuta jumped like he hadn't noticed she was there. He tried to force a smile for her, but he was never a very convincing actor.

"Yuta…"

"Ah, okay, so…" Yuta sighed and had trouble meeting her eyes. "You remember Haruto's, um, outburst yesterday."

"Yeah. Why?"

"I think I know what's bothering him."

"Did he tell you?"

"No. He clams up whenever the subject of school comes up. But when I was picking him up yesterday, it looked like some kids were giving him grief."

"He's only been in school for a couple days, how is he already getting bullied?"

"Well, um, from the sound of it, I think it's because his dad's in the yakuza."

"Oh." Haruka said. "Oh no."

"We probably should've seen this coming. The kids of yakuza usually get singled out somehow. It's either this or getting treated like a live bomb."

"Did you talk to his teacher?"

"Yeah. I don't think she's a fan of my profession either."

"Well that's – that's no excuse. It shouldn't matter what you do, it has nothing to do with who Haruto is, and he should be treated like any other kid."

Yuta chuckled. "Maybe you should talk to her."

"It's just ridiculous, what kind of professional punishes a kid for something they have no control over. It's not his fault if his father is a…"

"…Is a…?"

"Is… in your line of work. And more than that, she does even know you, she's just judging you based on your job. It's unethical. She doesn't know about how much you help the community, she doesn't know that you hate the terrible practices that make people afraid of the yakuza to begin with. She doesn't know that you're the kindest person I've ever met, and that you're still one of my closest friends."

And, Haruka reminded herself, that she didn't blame him for any of it.

Yuta gave her a curious look, but smiled softly.

"Thanks," he said. "But seriously, tell her this, not me."

"I'll give her a call when I get the chance. You should-"

Her phone rang. It was Date.

"Oh my gosh," Haruka interrupted herself. "I'm sorry, this is really urgent, I have to take this."

"Huh? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's, uh, it's work-related. I'll call you back, okay?"

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too."

She hung up on him faster than her conscience appreciated and moved the phone up to her ear to answer Date's call.

"Date?"

"Haruka," he responded. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"It's fine, go ahead."

"Just sent you an image. I think we found your guy."

Haruka pulled the phone back and swiped over to her recent messages. That was definitely him. It was weird seeing him in a fancy black suit and not covered in sweat, but the broad face, the curly hair, the resting smile, he was unmistakable.

"That's him."

"Taro Kitamura. CEO and majority shareholder of Tenshin Security. They only opened shop in Kamurocho around a year ago, they specialize in bodyguard and security detail for businessmen and celebrities and such. They've also apparently been very vocal about having no connections to the yakuza, and no employees who are or have been associated with a family."

"A company opens in Kamurocho, refuses to work with the yakuza, and deals in one of the few legitimate businesses they can work in."

"Right. Sounds like they're trying to drive them out. Or at least, it's reasonable for the Tojo to feel like that's happening."

"And that's why they need to find Taro."

"Another thing about Kitamura, the company filed a missing persons report this morning."

Haruka blinked.

"If he knew the Tojo Clan was after him," Date continued. "Then he's likely in hiding. That's the optimistic option at least. It's also possible that the Tojo have already found him."

"So, well, what happens now? We have to find him, we-"

"Haruka, I'll say again. He works in security. We've already started putting out the net, but it's likely that if he doesn't want to be found he won't be found."

"You have to do something, Date."

"We're going to try. But based on my experience, there's no guarantee that anyone would be able to find him. Nobody outside of the Florist, at least."

"The Florist?"

"Haruka. No."

"Uncle Kaz was friends with the Florist, I'm sure he'll help me."

"Kiryu knew the old Florist. That guy washed up dead a couple years back. Someone else took up the mantle since then, we don't know who. He's helped the police before, but it would take around 6 weeks to get a proper answer from him, and that's not even covering the costs from our department. If we can do it without him, we'd want to."

"I'll meet with him in person then. I remember how to get to Purgatory, I'll beat the information out of this new guy if I have to."

"Purgatory also isn't what you remember. Half a year ago the Community Safety Chief wanted a publicity boost, so he staged a raid on the place. No one really got caught, but they had to change locations afterwards. We don't know where it moved to and we don't have the time to figure out now. Just sit tight, I'm telling you we'll do our best to find this guy and make sure he's kept safe, okay? It's our job, after all."

"I just feel so useless sitting around and doing nothing. Maybe I should walk around and talk to the people who saw him last."

"The police already did that when this became a missing persons case. Needless to say, we didn't get anything useful."

"Date, I have to do something."

"If you want to help, see if you can't remember anything else about Kitamura from when you met him. Anything at all could help."

Haruka chewed her lip.

"Look, I have to go now. Please, Haruka, just let the police handle things from here."

Haruka kept quiet.

"C'mon, I need you to say it."

"I'm not a child anymore, Date."

"Then act like an adult and let this go. Okay?"

She chewed on her lip. "…I'll let you handle it."

"Thanks. I'll call you back when I've got something."

Date hung up. Haruka stowed the phone back into her pocket and without a second's hesitation got to her feet and started walking.

* * *

"Welcome to Anytime Fitness," said the not very enthused teenaged girl behind the counter.

"Hi," Haruka said as she approached. "You were working here yesterday, right?"

"Lost and found is down the hall next to the check slot."

"No, I'm not asking about a lost item." Haruka fished her phone out and pulled up Taro's picture. "Do you remember seeing this man?"

"Oh. You're looking for him. Look lady, I already told the police everything I knew, and it wasn't much. He signed in, worked out for a couple hours, then signed out. I don't know where he went, I don't know who he talked to."

"Anything could help."

"…I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Any ideas why a rich guy like Kitamura would have a membership here?"

"I don't know, maybe he likes things low key. I hear that RIZAP place is super strict on how long you can use the machines. Listen, I'll call security."

"Do you have the sign in list from yesterday?"

The girl didn't say anything. Haruka saw her hand move slowly underneath the desk. She reached out, grabbed her by the arm and twisted.

"Ow ow ow hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Don't do that."

"Fine, you can look at the list. The police already checked every name on it, there's nothing there."

Haruka let go of her arm. She caught a nasty glare before receiving a clipboard with several pages clipped onto it.

Flipping through, she found her own name, signing in and out at the times she remembered signing in and out at. A few names later was Taro Kitamura, he signed in half an hour after Haruka, and signed out at the same time as her.

Haruka leafed through the rest of the pages, looking for names. Daisaku Minami… Sho Aikawa… Kenji Matsushige… perhaps that last one was expecting too much. Perhaps any of them was expecting too much, why would a Tojo Captain come to a place like this to do gruntwork?

"Do you have any lists from before yesterday? Something from the past week or month?"

"Not physically, no. And you can break my arm if you want, but I am calling security before I let you on the computer."

Haruka sighed and handed her back the clipboard. "Sorry for bothering you."

* * *

"Yes? Can I… help you?"

Taro's secretary was much better at pretending to be interested than the Anytime Fitness girl. She was dressed a lot nicer too.

"Yes, I need to ask about Taro Kitamura."

"Well, Mr. Kitamura isn't in his office right now, and we really prefer if you schedule appointments by phone."

"I'm not looking to schedule an appointment. And I know that Taro isn't in today. Because he's missing."

The secretary's customer service smile barely dipped.

"I'm sorry, I've already been interviewed by the police and they asked that I not speak to anyone about what happened."

"You're the one who called him as in missing, right? Not his friends or his family, but the company. Doesn't that feel weird?"

Her professional façade faded. She and Haruka were the only ones in the lobby outside of Taro's office, Haruka wondered if she would be as cooperative if others were around.

"And you consider yourself to be a – friend of Mr. Kitamura's?"

"Um, kind of. Not really, I suppose. We only met once, but I'm still concerned about him."

"Yes, that makes sense. Mr. Kitamura isn't the most sociable man. You seem like an honest person, but there's not much I can really tell you. This morning, Mr. Kitamura didn't show up to work on time. I was concerned, that's never happened before, not for as long as we've been in business. I tried calling his cell phone, his landline, I even went to his house. When I couldn't find him, I called the police."

"You called the police right away?"

"As fast as I could."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"You couldn't call him, and he wasn't at home? Why would you immediately call the police after just that?"

"Well, he was acting kind of strange yesterday. He cancelled today's appointments and left work early. He didn't schedule any vacation time, so I wanted to ask him about that, but he left before I could. I was going to call and ask him about it today, but…"

"Alright. Thank you for helping me."

"Don't mention it. Now, I do have a lot of scrambling to do, what with our CEO's disappearance and all, so if you wouldn't mind."

"One last thing, would you mind telling me where Taro's place is?"

The secretary gave a sharp, fake laugh. "I gave up a lot of not important information because I trust that you actually have Mr. Kitamura's best interests in mind. But there's no way in hell I'm going to give my boss's address to a perfect stranger."

"Oh. Well, yes I suppose that makes sense."

And just like that, her customer service smile was back on as she waved Haruka out. "Have a nice day."

* * *

Haruka took a deep drag on her cigarette. She leaned against a wall in theater square, watching the sun set and listening to the crowd of people bustling about. Slowly, the population of the day gave way to the ebbing crowd of those seeking to enjoy the nightlife. Dedicated students became carefree youths, the distinguished elderly became geriatric patrons, businessmen… well the businessmen stayed the same, but they got a hell of a lot more drunk.

And like rats, the yakuza of Kamurocho slowly scurried out from their holes to prowl the night.

Haruka took another drag.

It had been a productive day. Haruka hadn't come away with nothing, in fact she'd learned quite a bit. And based on what she'd found out, her next move was to –

Her next move was to…

She'd found out that…

Haruka sighed.

Okay, the secretary did tell her that Taro had prepared his departure, which meant that he had actually gone into hiding and wasn't just dragged off by the Tojo. At least not at first, anything could've happened in the time since they left the gym.

Which meant that her next move was to…

She checked her phone. An hour and a half till her shift started. Her next move was to head back to Bohemia and do her job.

She put out her cigarette on the bricks behind her and pushed off the wall. Just in time for a couple of drunks in business suits to stumble directly into her.

"Hey, hey!" the one yelled. "Watch where you're watchin'!"

Haruka gave a bow and a "Sorry."

"Yeah, you better be."

"Don't worry about her, man," the other told him. "We're just getting started on the fun tonight, don't get caught up on some floozy."

"You're right, you're right. But I got my eyes on you." The one made a vague pointing gesture at Haruka, but eventually turned and the two went on their way.

Haruka wondered what in the hell they were doing being that plastered this early in the evening. She wasn't that curious though.

Or at least, she wasn't at first.

As she walked behind them, heading north, she briefly wondered if they were going to go rent a room at a love motel. But when they turned east along with her at Shichifuku Street, she figured that, no, they were probably heading towards the Champion District, same as her.

And then they suddenly took a sharp right and went through a small, 'Maintenance Only' backdoor entrance into the Millennium Tower.

That had Haruka puzzled to say the least. What fun were they planning on having in there? Office party? Trash the boss's office party? But then why go in through the back? Maybe they mistook the tower for someplace else. Maybe something serious was going on in there and the drunk act had been a front.

Or maybe it meant exactly what Haruka hoped it did.

She looked around, mostly on instinct, to make sure nobody was watching her, then followed them in.

The maintenance tunnel was long and rigid, with the occasional, sharp, right-angle turn and a number of labeled doors on either side that branched off into their own long, rigid tunnels. Eventually, however, Haruka reached the end, where the tunnel emptied out into the tower's lobby, this door also marked for Maintenance Only.

The two drunks were nowhere to be seen. What had barely been a trail to begin with had all but disappeared under her nose.

That said, the maintenance tunnel had dropped her off right in front of the elevators, so her tailee's options were limited. And in a tower like this, the only place to really disappear to was up, right?

That did not feel right actually, but Haruka hit the elevator call button anyways. Surprisingly, it lit up, she'd assumed these would be turned off for the night or something. And yet, within the minute, a soft ding echoed through the empty lobby and door #3 opened wide to invite her in.

Then she needed to choose her floor, and, having assumed that something would've stopped her by now, was wholly unprepared for the decision.

It would be random, arbitrary, she had absolutely no clues to go on, nor was she sure that the drunks had even taken an elevator in the first place. The only thing she had to go on was a random guess, a shot in the dark.

So she took her shot, the shot only she could take.

She hit button 36, then button 38, noted with a growing anticipation that the light next to floor 60 lit up in its off-orange, and so she pressed that.

The elevator accepted and began to move. 60 floors of silence passed, Haruka rose 180 meters into the air, before slowing to a stop. The elevator gave a soft ding. The doors opened wide.

And Haruka entered into Purgatory.


	7. Chapter 5: The Fatal Depths

Haruka was feeling an intense mix of emotions.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator she recognized her surroundings. Every twist and bend, every room and wall. The 60th floor had seen some serious remodeling, and had no doubt been characterized by her nearly two decade absence, but it quite plainly still used the same mold as her mother's old bar.

Purgatory attempted to greet its familiar faces with its old aesthetic. The walls were a smoky brown marble, the floors a lush violet carpeting, and blue and purple spotlights shone down from the ceiling. Each of the side rooms had been made a little bit more private, the ones that had open doors featured smiling young women in loose fitting robes sitting on small mats and waving happily to customers. The main bar area, meanwhile, was filled with table upon table for gambling and games of chance, with sharp-dressed dealers manning each one. The bar was also manned with a few tenders in similar tuxedos, each one-

"Hey hey hey!" A new drunk businessman approached Haruka, slinging an arm over her shoulder almost immediately. Each of his many pockets were overflowing with bricks of yen. "Hey there pretty lady. I just won big at the craps table. You wanna spend your night with a big winner like me?"

"Oh. Um, sorry, but I'm married."

The drunk man gave Haruka a sharp pat on the back.

"Understandable, have a pleasant evening," he said before turning and staggering off.

Haruka gingerly snatched one of the bricks hanging out of his back pocket and shoved it into her own. Hopefully he wouldn't miss just one.

Where was she, again?

Yes, each of the bartenders gave off an air of professional stillness. There were dozens of people sitting at the bar, and each one was tended to perfectly while the bartenders themselves looked almost like statues.

Just past the game area was the patio. As before, there were plenty of patches of greenery adorned with small garden tables littered around the edge of the space, but there was one major difference.

In the center of pond was a circular platform of dry land, the pond now acting more as a moat, albeit one you could just walk through. The platform was also ringed by a cage made of gold-plated grating, and in the middle, two men were mercilessly beating each other. A small crowd was gathered in front, cheering them on and sipping their drinks, but the real audience sat on the helipad above them, in rows and rows of cushioned seats. They stared down in rapture, applauding and jeering and having the time of their lives with the spectacle.

If Haruka had any doubts that she was in Purgatory, they disappeared when she saw that.

She shifted her attention back to the bar and, squeezing between the baccarat and blackjack tables, slipped up to it and onto a stool. One of the bartenders noticed her almost immediately.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you sure you're in the right… establishment? The tables keep stakes high here, and they'll only get higher through the night."

Perhaps it was odd to stroll into the epicenter of decadence wearing a jacket and jeans. Haruka's response, then, was to pull out the brick and place 200,000 yen on the counter.

"I'd like a shot of brandy, you can keep the change."

The bartender gave an impressed nod and began pouring her drink.

"You know, people usually only tip so generously when they're after something."

"A bit of information on the side would be nice. I'm trying to find the person in charge here."

The bartender chuckled. "That information is a little overpriced if you ask me. You might've gotten ripped off."

Haruka took a sip. "Meaning?"

"They usually show up about 20 minutes from now. You'll know 'em when you seem 'em."

The bartender cautiously placed a hand over the stack of yen on the counter. Haruka waved him to take it and spun around, casting her eyes over the crowd. Most of the players were old men acting at least half their age and sporting girls on their arms even younger. Spotted among them was the occasional new money upstart businessman, dressed as fancy and with girls about the same age, and yet they gave off a stiffer, somehow less animated air. Perhaps they felt pressured to keep their professional air up at all times, where the geriatric types were determined to live every day like their last.

Newcomers entered Purgatory at a snail's pace, and every time one came in, Haruka shifted her attention to analyze them as thoroughly as possible. Most of them were the exact same fare as the rest of the crowd though, and became indistinguishable as soon as they began to mingle.

Four minutes had passed before anyone caught Haruka's eye. He wasn't old, but he also wasn't exactly young. He wasn't attractive, but he also wasn't ugly. The opposite of a stand out individual, save for one detail: a thick, golden bracelet kept tight around his right forearm. Embedded with gemstones of an alternating color pattern around its base, with an insignia that Haruka didn't recognize carved on its front.

Haruka watched the man with the bracelet as he maneuvered the crowd. He showed up alone, and was noticeably less sociable than the other patrons. Where jovial laughter seemed to be the default mood, he instead skulked around the background, quietly joining the roulette table.

Seven minutes had passed, and another figure of interest entered. An American, his hair was grey, but it was kept immaculate, with a perfectly curled mustache over his knowing smile and a blonde American girl locking arms with him. His eyes were framed by wrinkles, but they were as sharp as a fighter's in his prime. They were the only foreigners on the entire floor, that was certainly enough to stand out from the crowd.

As they approached the Texas Hold 'Em table, however, she noticed something odd. The two of them, they weren't anti-social like the man with the bracelet, but they didn't… talk. At all. They spoke with their money, flowing endlessly into the bottomless pit of wealth that was this gambling hall, but as time went on, and they seemed to only communicate with gesticulation. Haruka began to seriously wonder if they could even speak Japanese.

Twelve minutes passed, and a third person of interest entered. She immediately stood out compared to everyone else in the room, firstly simply for being a woman who wasn't on the arm of an older man. She came in alone. She was old but not aged, wearing a pure white blazer and pair of slacks with sequined patterns running across them and a matching wide brimmed hat. Her dark hair framed her face well and fell far down her back, contrasting with the blinding white of her suit. If Haruka was supposed to know the Florist by how they looked, this woman was the prime suspect. She approached the bar, only a couple seats away from Haruka (she tried not to stare) and took a seat, chatting up the bartender immediately.

Haruka's attention was taken from the woman, however, and forced back onto the man with the bracelet as a small commotion broke out on the gambling floor. The man with the bracelet was struggling as a pair of large men in crisp, black suits escorted him out. He was trying his best not to look like a petulant child, but also not keen on being kicked out so early in the night.

If he was being removed from the premises, then he probably wasn't the man in charge. And the Americans, well she couldn't imagine the legendary informant would be so unskilled at communicating. That only left the woman, and Haruka homed her focus entirely in on her. A few more people had joined her by now, and the group had begun feverishly talking among themselves. Haruka strained her ears to try and hear what was being said, to key herself in on any clues.

Sixteen minutes had passed.

One of the side doors was violently kicked open, the sound filled the entire room and made Haruka jump in her stool.

"What's up bitches!?"

Well then.

"How the fuck y'all enjoying ya' boy Takeshi's entertainment for the night, huh? Let me hear y'all if you're having a good time, huh!"

The gambling room was filled with a drunken cheer as Takeshi staggered out into the open. He wore an oversized grey hoodie and baggy black sweatpants, and his spotless white sneakers were nearly glowing in the spotlights. His head was shaved with just a peach fuzz capping his dome and he had a single gold ring in his right ear.

Most of the people had gone back to their drinks, chats, and games, but Takeshi was undeterred and kept talking anyways.

"Yeah nah, I just nut blasted like seven chicks in the back there, so it's a good start to the night kna'am saying, but I apologize for the tardiness. I'm a just try and make a quick buck real fast then we'll get onto the real shit, alright?"

Takeshi gave a quick stretch then wandered over to a poker table. Haruka turned back to the bartender and, unfortunately, received a nod in return. She left her empty glass on the bar and pushed herself to her feet. At the very least, she still had an hour until her shift started, and this shouldn't take long.

"Yeah I got my shit somewhere, just give me a second."

Takeshi was busy searching his pockets as Haruka walked up to the table he was sitting at. She took a seat next to him and placed what remained of the brick on the table.

"Deal me in?" she asked. The dealer nodded, accepted the cash, and handed Haruka back a stack of coins.

"A'ight here it is." Takeshi fished out a similar brick and slapped it down on the table, getting his own stack of coins.

With that, the dealer broke out a deck, shuffled it, and passed out a pair of cards to each of the players. Haruka had a 3 of hearts and a 6 of spades.

Haruka cleared her throat. "Takeshi, wasn't it?"

"No." Takeshi put in the small blind.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're gonna say you need my help, ain't ya'?"

Haruka raised the 100 blind to 500.

"But I do need your help."

Takeshi called her raise.

"And I appreciate hoes who at least got the courtesy to call me daddy. Just saying."

"Wh- What?"

"And it's important to clear up from the start, I don't fuck with no hoes who don't put out. You want the cash you better be trading in your goods and or services, kna'm saying."

 _"Wh- What?"_

"You want money. I wanna smash. Well, I don't wanna smash you. But every bitch who think they should be a model comes expecting a handout just for smiling pretty and having a push-up. I do not pay hookers who don't let me smash. Personal policy of mine."

The third member of the table folded, while the fourth called Haruka's bet. The dealer laid out the flop. Queen of hearts, 7 of clubs, 2 of clubs.

"I'm not asking for money. I'm trying to find someone."

"Aw nah, not one of you bitches."

Takeshi put in a bet of 1000.

"What now?"

"I get one of you like once a month. Like a fuckin tax collector. Let me guess, your college friend runs off and you think she's in with the wrong crowd. Don't like a ho up and hoing about, doing what a ho do. Whatever bitch, I treat hookers good. They all live like ho queens, ask 'em yourself. No one here don't like the arrangement 'cept y'all bitches with the dick in your ass."

Haruka raised the bet to 1500.

"I'm… sorry are you holding women captive here?"

"Bitch are you listening? I just said I treat 'em right. And they're free to stop taking my money whenever they feels like it. Bet ya' ass just salty they don't wanna fucks with you no more."

"I'm not," Haruka's brain struggled to translate. "Looking for any… college friends."

Takeshi called Haruka's raise and the fourth player folded. The dealer put down the turn, 5 of diamonds.

"Then I'm completely lost, fuck you want from me bitch?"

"I told you, I need you to find someone."

Takeshi put down 2000.

"If it ain't one of my hoes, then what's that got to do with me?"

Haruka raised to 3000.

"Because you're the Florist? Finding people is what you do!"

Takeshi called her raise.

"Bitch, what?!"

"What?"

"Ain't no fuckin' florist, fuck shit is you on?"

"You're – You're the guy in charge of Purgatory! The Florist! The guy who finds people! He-"

"Yeah, I know who the fucking Florist is, that motherfucker split fucking ages ago though."

"Wait, but – You're – You're not-"

"Fuck no. I just run shit, a'ight? Give half a dead rat's last shit 'bout who people is fucking away from home. I'm here to make money. Cash. Moolah. I'm good at doing that so I'm in charge. Fuck off with any of this finding people shit."

"But… do you know where the Florist went then?"

"Ain't telling you."

"I'll pay you."

"You better be rich as all fuck. Florist ain't trifling on shit, if I'm selling him out I better be able to live off that."

"I'll… I can do some work for you."

"Yeah, no. Old fuck farts only care about them young hoes. None of them interested in a milf who ain't even milfy, bitch."

"That's not- Let me fight."

Takeshi let out a shotgun laugh. "You want in the fucking coliseum? Bitch they will tear your ass apart."

"Do you know who my father is?"

"Oh, good, we're back on the money angle. Which Fortune 500 motherfucker is it then?"

Haruka reached over and, within an instant, locked Takeshi's far arm behind his back. He gave out a, refreshing at this point, yelp of pain.

"…Kazuma Kiryu."

"Fuck! The dragon's brat? Goddamn. Shit. Alright fine, fine, let the fuck go of me bitch!"

Haruka did as she was asked, and Takeshi shook out his hurt arm.

"Psycho fucking bitch. Fine. I'll put you in the tournament, the big one with my real shit boys. You make that shit hype, and I'll tell you about the fucking Florist."

It was only then that Takeshi looked down to see the river. 4 of clubs.

Haruka flipped over her cards.

"Straight."

Takeshi groaned and flipped his own. 4 of diamonds and queen of clubs.

"Two pair."

Haruka turned back to the dealer.

"I'd like to cash out now."

* * *

Haruka was led down a maintenance tunnel to a small, dark room just underneath the ring. There was a platform that would lead her up onto one side of it, a platform that was conspicuously already stained red. Her opponent was sat in a room on just the other side of the wall, presumably to keep them from killing each other without the crowd getting to enjoy it.

The room was furnished with a single plastic chair. Haruka sat in it.

It was quite a while before her cue came. She wasn't sure how long. She just stared into the darkness of the room, thinking.

Haruka didn't want to rely on Uncle Kaz's name. It felt like a disrespect to use who he was for her own profit after he'd gone. After he had any say in how people talked about him. She wanted to leave his memory exactly where it was, as perfect as it had been when he sacrificed himself for her sake.

But if she hadn't, she might've been stopped here. If Takeshi wouldn't give Haruka the time of day, then it was Kiryu who would have to save her.

Again.

The ceiling was pretty thin, so when the festivities were to start, Haruka could hear them loud in clear.

"A'ight a'ight a'ight. I apologize for the delay, y'all, but we're ready to get this shit started now. It's ya' boy Takeshi Nakajima, and how are y'all doing tonight?"

The crowd gave a cheer of approval. Haruka was surprised and a little dismayed that Takeshi would also be providing the color commentary.

"Y'all enjoying the warm up act?"

Another cheer.

"Well guess what, that weren't shit! No offense or nothing. Nah, tonight ya' boy has found a real fucking treat for y'all. Now who all up in here is over the age of 10?"

A moment of silence.

"Anyone who ain't raise their hand right then is getting escorted out by the way." Laughter. "That wasn't a joke motherfuckers, you volunteered the fucking information. That dude, yeah, I see you, funny guy, get that motherfucker out of here... A'ight, continuing. Now, who over here remembers the name… Kazuma 'The Motherfucker' Kiryu?"

The cheers cut short and were replaced by gasps and quiet murmuring.

"That's right ya' do. Ain't managed to dig up his corpse or raise up his ghost or nothin', but I got y'all the next best thing. In this corner, I present to you… the daughter of the Dragon of Dojima: Haruka Sawamura!"

Haruka stepped forward onto the platform and it raised her up out of the dark room and under the bright spotlights. As her eyes adjusted, the first sight she took in was the smiling, laughing faces of the crowd just beyond the cage.

"Will she live up to daddy's reputation or is she just a princess in over her head? Only one way to find out. Speaking of which, hey, y'all seen the news recently? 'Bout that crazy-ass yakuza motherfucker who up and killed his entire Family?"

A soft ooh rippled through the crowd. Now that she was on level with them, she could see their excited faces just barely holding back childish giggles.

"Ha HA! Yeah, y'all know where this is going. In the other corner! Some say it was for honor, some say it was revenge, and some say he's just batshit fucking insane! Put your fucking hands together for the yakuza on the run, Tatsu Shibata!"

On the opposite end of the ring, the second platform rose, carrying on it a tall man in a cream-colored suit and navy shirt. His black hair was slicked back, stubble and scars marking his face in equal measure, with a pair of aviator sunglasses hiding his eyes.

As the crowd gave the applause they'd been asked for, Tatsu began to saunter towards Haruka.

"It's a good thing you said up front that you're Kiryu's kid," he said. "Wouldn't want to hit a woman without any good reason. Using his name to pretend to be something you're not is a good enough place to start."

"I'm going to warn you now, if you get within striking range I'm taking my shot, whether they've sounded the bell or not."

Tatsu cocked a crooked smile.

"Alright then."

He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, then took a firm grip on the shoulder of his suit and with a rip, pulled it away. On his back was the image of a wide-eyed wolf, snarling, surrounded by rolling clouds.

Haruka grabbed at her own jacket in return, pulling it away and leaving only her crimson red spaghetti strap shirt on underneath. Her ponytail was let loose, twisting and writhing towards the small of her back like a dragon in flight.

"A'ight a'ight. Rules is simple. Ain't none. Killing a motherfucker ain't mandatory, but it is highly encouraged. Weapons are allowed, so long as you ain't end up shooting anyone in the crowd. We've Old Yeller'd motherfuckers for that before and we'll do it again. Cool? Cool. Now let's get the fuck to it!"

From outside the cage, a bell sounded.

Haruka and Tatsu made the first move at the same time. A hook to the jaw.

Haruka felt the satisfying crumple of flesh under her fist. At the same time, Tatsu's fist rocked her cheek and rattled her brain. It took a second before even the pain could even register, but once it did, Haruka stumbled back with Tatsu acting as her mirror.

The crowd was loving it.

Tatsu was right back on the offensive, aiming a hook at Haruka's head. Her arms went up and blocked the hit, and the follow-up overhead, but while she kept her arms out, Tatsu snuck a jab to her ribs. Haruka stumbled again, her back bumping up against the cage.

Tatsu cracked his knuckles and smiled as he approached. He was going for the knockout blow as he wound back and threw a straight lunge at Haruka's head. Haruka shifted to the side and his knuckles met the cage's grating.

Tatsu reeled his hand back in pain, and Haruka capitalized as much as she could. First, she jabbed her elbow into his throat. Then while he was staggering, she drew in, grabbed his head, and slammed it down onto her knee. She spun around him, keeping a hold on his face, and slammed it against the cage, dragging him across the grate before hurling him into the ring's center.

She walked over to his prostrate body, staring down as he laid splayed out on the floor.

When she got close however, he sprang into action faster than she was expecting. He spun, sweeped a leg underneath Haruka and knocked her to the ground. By the time she could think of recovering he was standing over her. A foot slammed into her face, her nose crunched under the impact and the warm flow of blood began trickling down her face. The same foot then shot into her ribs, on impact she curled up and rolled onto her side.

Tatsu calmly walked to her opposite side and kicked her back onto her back, then he swung both fists down into her stomach.

Haruka was breathing heavily, all the liquid in her nose wasn't helping matters much, but Tatsu wasn't going to make the same mistake she did, and for that matter he wasn't going to make the same mistake he had earlier neither. No more delays, his fist rushed down to meet her face.

Both of Haruka's legs snapped up. It was an awkward position to be sure, but she caught Tatsu's arm between her thighs all the same. Both of them took a moment to realize that this maneuver had actually worked. Haruka then twisted her legs back down, away from his shoulder, putting Tatsu on his back and letting Haruka fluidly switch places, now on top of him. She gave one last tug with her hips, dislocating Tatsu's arm, and punched him in his nose. He wasn't out yet though, so she grabbed him by his greasy hair and yanked his head up, right into her own.

The headbutt left her blinking lights out of her eyes, and nursing a brand new replacement bruise, but Tatsu was now out cold.

Haruka shakily got to her feet. It took her a moment to realize that the crowd was applauding her like crazy.

"Yo that was pretty good!" Takeshi yelled over the roaring crowd. "Pretty fucking good. Put your hands together for that bad bitch, ya' heard me?"

The applause only grew louder. Haruka didn't want to acknowledge the people cheering for her, but she was surrounded, no real way to avoid eye contact. So she just wordlessly walked back to her platform and let it lead her back down.

* * *

Haruka had been told she'd have to wait out the rest of the first round before she could fight again. She had no interest in watching the other contestants killing each other so she sat at a small garden table as far away from the ring as she could, looked out over the nighttime city lights and let her mind wander.

When viewed from this far away, Kamurocho almost looked pleasant. The city lights danced in the night time like fireflies. Almost made her forget what exactly was happening down there.

It felt like she'd barely waited any time at all before she was called back into the underside platform room.

"Y'all see that? Holy shit! Who even thought you could do that to a man! A'ight for those of you just joining us, you in for a motherfucking treat now. Can I hear cat fight? In this corner, the baby girl of the dragon herself! Raised by the baddest motherfucker this side of the goddamn Pacific Ocean, this 5'4" can of whoop ass is following in the footsteps of none other than one Kazuma Kiryu. Give it up, for Haruka Sawamura!"

Haruka stretched herself out as she was raised into the ring again.

"And in the other corner, hot damn, hope you're not too attached to your arms, cause guess what, you won't be for long. This crazy bitch came all the way here from America, a professional wrestler who's killed just one too many broads in the ring. She sexy. She deadly. She fucked up in every wonderful way under the sun. Put your motherfucking hands together, for Blood Rose!"

Rising up on the other side of the ring from Haruka was an American woman. Her platinum blonde hair was dyed red at the tips. She wore what looked like a cut-off, sleeveless, black leather vest with a matching pair of shorts and boots.

"Y'all ready? Ah shit they fucking look ready. A'ight, tear the bitch apart!"

The bell sounded. Haruka darted forward, bridging the gap as quick as she could, and threw out a lunge to Blood Rose's chest. Blood Rose slipped under the strike and wrapped both of her arms around Haruka's, yanking it behind her back and pressing her boot into Haruka's spine.

So that's what that felt like.

Blood Rose pulled back harder, to the point that Haruka could feel either the shoulder coming close to dislocating or that entire bone coming close to snapping in half. She stepped forward, dragging Blood Rose with her. Only standing on one leg, she should've been easy to throw off balance, but even as she wobbled she kept her grip on Haruka's arm tight and painful.

Haruka then jumped backwards, body slamming Blood Rose with her back and sending them both tumbling to the ground. As soon as Haruka recovered, Blood Rose was lunging at her again, not even on her feet yet. Haruka grabbed both of her hands and the two of them grappled on their knees. Blood Rose was pushing hard, her face crawling towards Haruka's with a sadistic grin. She pressed her forehead against Haruka's, Haruka struggling to keep her at bay too much to push her back any farther.

Blood Rose said something in English. Haruka had no idea what.

Blood Rose cocked her head back, Haruka wasn't sure if she could stay conscious through another headbutt. As Blood Rose rushed forward to meet her again then, Haruka shot one leg up, catching Blood Rose in the gut with her knee before the strike could land. She was winded, so Haruka took the opportunity and yanked both of her hands down to the side, dragging Blood Rose onto the floor. She swung a leg over to stomp her head, and used that to push herself back to her feet.

For that very brief second, she was in control, but Blood Rose wrapped her arms around Haruka's leg and sent her back to the ground. She was about to get up again, but Blood Rose sat on her back, pinning her to the ground. She grabbed both of Haruka's legs under her arms and lifted them off the ground, Haruka again feeling the pressure as she pulled.

Blood Rose said something else in English. Haruka still had no idea.

Haruka used one hand to keep her head off the floor and the other to reach back and search, looking for some way to break Blood Rose's hold. She tried striking at her back, but with the awkward positioning, she had no leverage to make a real impact. She tried scratching at the exposed skin she could find, travelling up from her shoulder blades towards her neck, but nothing seemed to phase her.

Haruka could feel something begin to pop in her hips.

Finally, her hand found Blood Rose's head, and after feeling around that, she managed to swipe at her eye. That made her flinch back, giving Haruka enough wiggle room to swing her leg and kick Blood Rose in the nose. Haruka pushed with her back, dislodging Blood Rose from off of her, and cracked an elbow into the back of her head to finally clear some room.

As Blood Rose turned to face Haruka again, she immediately met a hook from her blinded side. Then from the opposite side. Again and again and again, Haruka kept up her momentum in a Dempsey Roll and pushed Blood Rose back with each successive hit. One last punch sent Blood Rose twirling on one toe. Haruka stepped back to give herself some room, then ran forward and jumped. Her fingers locked into the grating of the cage and her knee swung forward and smashed Blood Rose's face into the cage wall. As Haruka fell back onto her feet, Blood Rose slumped down to her knees, and then fell onto her face.

Haruka huffed and gazed skyward as she took in the roar of the crowd again.

* * *

Haruka hadn't even made it to her table when she was called back to the ring. That probably wasn't a good sign.

"Yo-hoh! That shit was fucking nuts. Jesus Tittyfucking Christ y'all. Nah nah, don't move Toto, you're still up. Bitches and gentlemen, let me introduce you to our two grand finalist of the night. It has been a real-ass scrap for both these motherfuckers, and now they're about to hit that final scrap. Who's going home champ, and who's going home in a shoebox? I don't fucking know y'all, but I'm so excited to find out. Yo, okay. In this corner, hailing all the fuck way from Germany, this underground boxer deadass straps razor blades to his boxing gloves, for the perfect combination of punching dudes and knifing 'em. Guess the fuck why he ain't in Germany no more. Give it the fuck up for… goddamn I'm never gonna get this name right. T- Totogushalagen? Gashu… Totogashulagen! Give it up for my man Toto y'all."

Applause dutifully filled the air. Haruka stood up from her plastic chair and stepped onto the platform.

"And in the other corner, that bitch who put in the work! If she's proven anything tonight, it's that she is in fact the daughter of Kazuma Kiryu. I'm sure daddy would be real proud if he could see his baby girl right now."

Haruka suddenly felt really bad about everything that was happening at this exact moment.

The platform started lifting and took Haruka back into the ring. Standing across from her was "Toto." He looked European, with sharp, sunken features. His brown hair had retreated a little across his scalp, but was made up for in a short but full mustache and beard. He had the figure of a boxer for sure, as well as the clothing with a pair of black boxer shorts and matching boots.

And his gloves…

Just as Takeshi had said, his gloves had razor blades, the kind you shaved with, sewn in rows across the knuckles, glinting in the light.

Haruka was starting to feel, rightfully, pretty nervous, and Takeshi wasn't helping.

"She's only got one stop left before becoming Purgatory's new champion… and it just might fucking kill her, y'all excited, I'm fucking excited, ding the bell!"

The bell dinged, and Haruka panicked. She rushed forward, struggling to keep her footing as she became more aware of the soreness in her legs, and swung a wild haymaker at Toto's head. Toto easily ducked the swing and launched a counter to Haruka's gut.

Haruka did the only thing she could think to do to avoid getting hit. Her hand shot down, pushing onto Toto's back, and she vaulted over his punch and over his head and flipped into the air.

And slammed painfully into the cage with her shoulder. The shock sent a wave of pain through her sore arm, but she recovered in time to land on her feet and take a shaky fighting stance.

Toto didn't have much of a reaction. He rolled his shoulders then shot forward, zig-zagging up until he met Haruka with a lunge. Haruka sidestepped the strike and Toto hit the cage, the razors on his glove sent sparks flying as he pulled his punch back. Haruka snuck in a gut shot and a roundhouse to the face, but Toto recovered quickly and threw out a jab, forcing Haruka to jump back.

Haruka shot in again, ducked a headshot, threw out two jabs to his chest, sidestepped a straight, threw a hook to his face that met its mark, then another that whiffed as he ducked, leaned back as his followup uppercut nearly grazed her chin, then used the distance to build momentum and shot her head back forward and slammed into Toto's.

Everything went black for a split second.

Somehow Haruka remained standing, but her vision was fading back in much too slowly. She caught some kind of movement, but wasn't entirely sure what it was. That is, until an impact struck her chest. She touched the area lightly and felt something wet. And then the pain set in, and her vision shot back to her in sharp focus.

Her shirt had been sliced open, just underneath the collarbone, and below that was a shallow cut oozing blood.

Toto went for a hook to Haruka's head, and she just barely managed to bat the arm away in time, pulling Toto in close, slamming an elbow into his cheek and a punch into his stomach. He pounded a fist into Haruka's back, but the angle wasn't right to get any use out of the razors.

Instead, Toto opted to lean in, and bit down sharply on her ear. Haruka yelped and pulled away. Toto threw out a jab, and it met Haruka's shoulder, slicing the skin and leaving her with another gash. Haruka tried to make distance again, but as she stepped back, Toto stomped on her foot and rooted her in place.

And Toto had her. All her evasion up until this point had been worthless, as he was allowed to do what exactly he'd strapped razors onto his gloves to do. Toto threw hook after hook to Haruka's face, catching her in a Dempsey Roll of pain and blood. Each strike hit Haruka in the cheek and each one left a cut across her face and sent a shock of pain through her body. Haruka wanted desperately to escape, to stop him at all costs, so she didn't wait for an opening, she didn't have the time to wait for an opening anymore. She just pushed herself through the pain and threw a punch. Her fist barreled into his chest as fast as she could pump it. Toto was winded and staggered back, Haruka gave him no room to breath, leaping forward and rocking the side of his head with a superman punch.

The man refused to fall, however. Haruka rushed forward as Toto threw out a hook. She ducked just enough to avoid the hit, though failed to miss it entirely as a razor grazed her, cutting through an eyebrow. She powered through the pain and grabbed Toto around the midsection, lifted him off the ground and began running. She slammed his back into the side of the cage, then backed up and did it again. Toto slammed his fists into her back but couldn't cut her, and that's how she wanted to keep him. But after one swing too many, Toto let loose a two handed hammer strike, and Haruka crumpled to the ground.

As soon as she was able to, she rolled out of the way, and as soon as she stopped she saw a fist hit the ground right where she'd just been laying. Haruka jumped to her feet, denying Toto the advantage. Toto moved in, denying her the comfort. He was charging wildly now, swinging at every chance he could take. Haruka tried to weave through the strikes, but the razors would somehow get nicks in, along her shoulder, across her face, a few across her arms and chest.

Toto swung again, a fast and precise jab, and Haruka snapped. She reached forward with one hand and caught the fist in her palm. She felt the blade dig into her skin, but kept her grip tight as blood began to drip down. She reached over with her free hand, and with both hands on the glove she yanked it off and threw it behind her.

Toto gasped in surprise and tried to throw a hook with his off hand, Haruka stopped his arm with a chop, ran her hand along his arm, and stripped the glove off of him, sending it flying behind her with its brother.

Toto looked shocked. He tried to throw a punch regardless, but it was weaker and unsure. Without his weapons, his confidence faded away in an instant. Haruka swatted the arm aside without a second thought and gripped his head with her palm, her own blood smearing across his face. She dragged him forward, towards the cage's wall, and slammed his head into the grating. And again. And again. Over and over, until Toto's face went slack. When she finally let go, he began to slump to his knees.

Haruka didn't give him the time to rest. She grabbed him by his ankles and pulled, trying to lift him off the ground in a giant swing. She didn't have the muscle to do that, however, and instead Toto slid across the ground and slammed into the grating again.

Haruka didn't care.

She stomped his face in, crushing his nose underneath her heel. Then again. Then she stomped his chest, his stomach, his chest, she kicked his chest, kicked his chest again, kicked his face, kicked his face, kicked his face, kicked his face, falling into rhythm and gripping the grating of the cage for leverage and ignoring the growing numbness in her foot.

The man had tried to kill her. There was no other explanation for it. No man would strap razors to his fists unless he wanted to kill someone in as inhumane a way as possible. Whatever came next, he deserved it. No matter what came next, he deserved it.

Her rhythm slowed when she noticed the reaction of the crowd. She'd phased everything else out of her mind as she beat on the man, but a single noise broke through to her and snapped her back to reality.

It was a cheer. They were loving it. Haruka received a standing ovation, the crowd roaring with excitement and applause.

Haruka looked back down to where Toto was laying. He was definitely out now. His face was covered with blood, Haruka's leg was covered in blood, and all of it wasn't hers anymore.

"Ha ha HA!" Takeshi screamed from the speakers. "Holy shit! Y'all fucking see that? Holy fucking shit, savage for that one, fucking swear. When she grabbed the glove, and like BAM. And BLAM! Yeah-heah! What a fucking comeback, I'm losing it y'all!"

Haruka glared up at the crowd seated on the helipad, gasping out what words she could. "We had… a deal…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yo, someone go check and see if Toto's dead. A'ight, our champion for tonight, y'all crazy motherfuckers, is the craziest motherfucker in the building! Haruka! Sawamura!"

Haruka stumbled over to the platform to be let down. She stumbled through the room, up the stairs, and out into the patio where Takeshi met her with a broad smile.

"Yo-hoh, that was some shit!" he said, punctuating the statement with a clap. "I need you to work this shit full time or something."

"…Shit," Haruka said. "Shit. Shit! What time is it?"

She didn't wait for a response and dug her phone out of her pocket. The screen was cracked pretty bad, but it still lit up. 12:15. Her shift had started two hours ago.

"I'll be back here tomorrow for the information. You skip town, I will know, and I will find you. You just saw what I can do. So don't."

"Aye nah, we'll hash the shit out, just don't go telling no one about the shit, alright? Florist has ears fucking everywhere."

"Don't. Skip town. Alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, gotcha. Crazy bitch."

And with that, and some especially shaky footing, Haruka took off running through Purgatory, leaving a dripping trail of red behind her.

* * *

Natsuko gave a gentle laugh as one of her customers finished his story. With a hearty chuckle, the man pushed his shot glass forward, and Natsuko mentally tabulated the addition to his tab and filled it back up.

"That's so funny," she said. "You know, I had an ex who actually fell for one of those scams once. Came back to me screaming about how we were going to be rich, he'd won the lottery, he just needed to give the guy his name, address, date of birth, and social security number."

The patrons of the bar erupted with laughter.

"I asked him who was running the lottery and he named some company that I'd never heard before, I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist. No, yeah, I looked it up afterwards, and I couldn't find a trace of it anywhere online."

More laughter, Natsuko let herself join in. That said, Bohemia was still small and quiet enough that she could hear the small bell over the door when it chimed. Natsuko turned to greet the new customer.

"Welcome to Bohe-"

Natsuko interrupted herself with a scream. It was joined by several more from her patrons, along with a few gasps and a "What the…"

Standing in the doorway was Haruka, covered head to toe in bruises and cuts. Her face, hands, and a single leg were absolutely drenched in blood. Her clothes were full of slashes. She was having trouble catching her breath. She was bleeding profusely all over the floor. She looked like she was about to collapse at any moment.

"I'm…" she wheezed out. "I'm here… I'm here Natsuko. I'm…"

And with that she fell forward and landed on her face.


	8. Chapter 6: Gasping for Air

Sunlight poured through Haruka's window. She rolled away from it, trying in vain to hold onto the last remnants of sleep that were sifting away from her mind. Eventually, however, she conceded, sitting up in her futon with a stretch and a yawn. Her excessive hair curtained around her.

And then she remembered what happened last night. And with it, came a pounding migraine. She clutched her head.

"I'm an idiot."

"I agree."

Haruka hadn't noticed Natsuko leaning against her doorway.

"Oh my God," Haruka tried to sit up, but a stitch in her side kept her from making any sudden moves. "Natsuko, I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry, huh?" Natsuko nodded and walked forward a few steps. "Sorry about – what specifically?"

"I… I'm…"

"No, I'm just curious. What specific part of all that are you sorry about? The part where you skipped your shift last night without even texting me? Or the part where you scared away most of my customers with your little zombie act? Or maybe it's the part where you almost died in my arms last night, is that it?"

"…You could've taken me to a hospital."

"I know you don't have insurance."

Haruka fell back onto her futon.

"I don't get it, Haruka. He's one guy. You knew him for like an hour. Why? Why are you risking your life for this?"

Haruka didn't have anything to say, she just chewed on her lip.

Natsuko sighed and pressed a finger into her forehead.

"Maybe," she started. "Until you finish - what it is you're doing here - maybe it'd be best if you took some time off work."

"What?" Haruka sat back up. "No, Natsuko, I promise it won't happen again-"

"Don't." Natsuko held up a hand to stop her. "After bringing the Tojo to my door and pulling that stunt last night, the fact that I care is the only thing stopping me from kicking you out. Take my generosity, and take a break."

Haruka swallowed hard.

"I understand." Haruka slowly, shakily got to her feet and limped over to the door, where her jacket hung on the knob. Digging into the pocket, she pulled out her substantially larger brick of yen, and presented it to Natsuko with a bow. "Then please, take this. To cover the losses."

"What the- Haruka, what is this?"

"It's all legitimate. Maybe not legally earned, but it's real money."

Natsuko responded with a very concerned look.

"Last night I went to a place called Purgatory. It's a place where you can do a lot of illegal things. Gamble, hire prostitutes, watch to the death cage matches. I needed information on where to find Taro, and the underworld was the best place to start looking."

"…Which of those three got you this money?"

Haruka sighed. She almost burst out laughing, but that would probably only concern Natsuko more.

"Gambling got me the money. Death matches got me the info."

Natsuko breathed a small "Jesus Christ" and looked at the stack of bills in her hand.

"Are you sure you don't need this? With how much you send back home and all?"

"Take it. After what I put you through, it's the least I can do."

Natsuko hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind. She split the stack with her thumb and handed Haruka half of it.

"We'll call that even."

"I-"

"I said we'll call that even."

Haruka's continued protests were cut short by a sharp knock at Bohemia's front door. Her eyes flitted back and forth from the door to her room to Natsuko's expression.

"Are you expecting anyone?"

"I'm sure it's nothing."

Haruka tried to push past her to the door, clutching at the stitch in her side.

"Would you lay down?"

"I'm still - Bohemia's bouncer. Let me at least be there."

"Sit back down or you're fired."

Haruka grimaced, but relented and sank into a sit on one of her cushions.

"Here," Natsuko tossed a roll of gauze and a roll of tape onto the table. "Your bandages need to be replaced."

Bandages? Haruka hadn't even realized she was wearing any.

She felt around her face. As far as she could tell, she was basically wearing a full mask of gauze. It covered her forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, there were a lot of bandages to cover. Even more across her body. Haruka sighed and tore out the first square of gauze.

"Uh, Haruka?" Natsuko called out from downstairs. "It's for you."

Haruka's expression hardened in a second. She placed the gauze back down and glued her eyes to the door.

It opened slowly, and it took a second for Haruka to place the plain, broad, wrinkled, tired face.

Kenji Matsushige, Tojo Clan Captain, stood in the doorway of her room.

Haruka tried to burst to her feet, but the stitch in her side forced her back down. Matsushige didn't pay her any mind and politely slipped off his shoes.

"Mind if I sit?"

"If you try anything-"

"You'll beat me within an inch of my life." Matsushige took that as the invitation to sit on his knees on the cushion across from her. "Sawamura, if I wanted to intimidate you, I would have brought somebody with me."

"Or you've got one of the other Captains waiting just outside."

"Ha." His face didn't actually lift when he plainly spoke the laugh. "The idea of the other Captains backing me up on any kind of venture. Let me tell you about the other Captains.

"Aikawa is a brown nose. The model yakuza. He's seen all the movies and it's a dream come true for him to live them out every day. He respects his bosses and he respects people who can beat him in a fight. I'm neither of those. I'm a financial advisor, he couldn't care less about what I have to say.

"Minami – well, you saw him. He's a hotheaded loose cannon. Nobody can get a handle on him, not even Kuroda. The only thing he cares about is a good fight. He's a psycho using the position to suit his own desires. The only reason he's a captain at all is because he inherited the Majima Family and can leverage over half our numbers at a whim.

"Do you know what I do, Sawamura? I manage the numbers. I watch the flow of cash from business to business and make sure everything is where it's supposed to be. Two old fashioned yakuza like Aikawa and Minami, I might as well not exist to them. It hasn't even occurred to them that I can see how much they skim off the top, how I could ruin their lives if I mentioned to Kuroda even a fraction of how much they've taken from the Clan in their time as Captains.

"So to assuage your fears, Sawamura, I am perfectly alone. In the moment and as a yakuza. I'm absolutely insignificant to everyone I meet, and I don't care to pretend otherwise. If I had the slightest want to try and scare you, I would have sent someone actually scary."

"That was a pleasant speech," Haruka said sarcastically. "What do you want, then?"

"Yes, I suppose I should stop airing my grievances and focus on business," Matsushige's face didn't shift. Instead, it felt like the aura of the room changed to express itself for him. "I understand that our last meeting left us with some hostility, but I'd like to make our stance at the moment abundantly clear. If you find any information on the whereabouts of Kitamura, it would be in your best interest to share that information with the Clan."

Haruka's blood turned to ice in her veins.

"You have been following me!"

"You are, by far, the easiest person in the world to interrogate. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"I think you should leave now."

"And I think you should listen to what I have to say. The Tojo Clan is mobilizing for war. They're desperate to find Kitamura, and you've offered yourself as their first lead. You don't seem to realize this, but it's in everyone's best interest if you just tell us what you know and then stay out of it. No one gets anything if you wind up dead, but I'm the only one trying to prevent that."

"I said," Haruka grumbled through grit teeth. "I think you should leave now."

"Ah, I'm being kicked out. Well, good day then, Sawamura. I leave you with a reminder: Dying or not, the Tojo Clan is still the lifeblood of Kamurocho. We don't have to be following you to see where you're going and who you're talking to."

And with that he slipped his shoes back on, bowed, and left right back out the door.

Minutes later, Natsuko poked her head in to see Haruka angrily tearing at the gauze with her teeth.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Haruka gave a small growl as she tore off another square.

"You want to know why I'm doing this for a guy I met once?" she asked. "It has nothing to do with the guy. This isn't a decision between ignore him and move on or help him and intervene. It's about the Tojo, always has been. If I stand by and let them do this, help them in any way, that sticks for life. I get branded a pushover, a spineless doormat that they can come to again and again. They'll spend the rest of my life draining me of everything, my strength, my money, my friends, until I'm no use to them anymore and they toss me aside on the verge of death."

Natsuko sat at the table and began helping her with the bandages. "So instead, you'd rather they hound you for the rest of your life? Either kill you eventually or make you die from the stress?"

"I'd rather live free and die with some dignity." She paused and looked up. "And do me a favor. If that guy comes back, don't let him in."


	9. Side Story: Shades of the Truth

Natsuko had discovered upon changing Haruka's bandages, that a lot of the shallower cuts had already healed up more or less. While she muttered about Haruka being "some kind of freak of nature" she removed what bandages weren't need anymore, leaving Haruka with patches around her cheeks and forehead instead of a complete mask.

Unfortunately, her favorite shirt had gotten absolutely shredded, and her jeans had a dark stain along them that didn't seem to want to come out. She managed to dig out a pink t-shirt that she'd gotten in Onomichi (it had fish sailors on a battleship, adorable) and put her jacket over that. Her black sweatpants would do for now, especially since she wasn't planning on doing much today.

Even that seemed too much for Natsuko, though. As soon as Haruka made to head out for the day, Natsuko began panicking and trying to force her to go back upstairs and lay down. Haruka had to promise that she wouldn't get into any fights while recovering, and even then, she had to throw in that the sunshine would probably be good for her before Natsuko conceded.

Of course, Haruka's only real plan was to kill time before going to Purgatory to get the Florist's whereabouts. She didn't really have a destination in mind until then, but really she just needed to stretch her legs and move. Sitting around and letting her thoughts catch up with her was never a fun time.

Walking down the streets of Kamurocho attracted more than a few stray glances. She did her best to face forward and ignore them. It'd be a lie to say she didn't mind the stares, she did, but dealing with them was easier than sitting around in her room.

Her phone went off. Haruka was grateful for the distraction.

Yuta wanted to facetime.

Okay, maybe she wasn't grateful for that one.

Haruka declined the facetime invitation but called Yuta back just after. She talked while she walked.

"Hey," he said from the other end. "Something up?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?"

"I don't know, what do you mean?"

She could hear him giggling on the other end of the line.

"No facetime today? I mean, that's fine and all, I'm just curious."

"Because, Yuta," Haruka said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm ugly today. I'm sorry, but you don't deserve to see something that horrible."

"So you're not going to tell me what's up, okay."

"Yuta!" Haruka pouted. "You're supposed to tell me that I'm never ugly."

"Sorry, sorry, you're right, let me start again." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Fair maiden Haruka, even on your worst days you can outshine the sun with your brilliance. Cherry blossoms wilt in your presence, knowing they could never match your beauty. How was that?"

"Better. A little cliché, though. You probably oversold it."

"So you're telling me to not quit my day job."

Haruka laughed. "Something like that. No, I'm just out and about at the moment, it's just not a good time. How have things been on your end?"

"Fine. I think. Work's been, uh, going. Haruto won't tell me about what's going on at school, but it's not like I've gotten any calls from his teacher. Have you phoned her yet, by the way?"

"Oh. No, sorry. Things have been kind of hectic on my end. These past few days have been a real… beating. Is he in school right now?"

"…It's Saturday."

Haruka rubbed her eyes. It was Saturday.

"I must be more out of it than I thought."

"Don't run yourself too ragged. I want a wife to come home to eventually."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"You know, telling me to not worry about it just makes me worry more."

"Yuta," Haruka complained. "Everything's fine. Natsuko's just trying out a new campaign for the bar, so we've had a lot of customers lately."

"Uh-huh. And if something did happen you'd tell me, right?"

"I-"

"Hey. Hey! Haruto! No, stop playing with that! Sorry, I gotta go."

"I get it. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"I love you."

"Love you too. Haruto!"

The phone beeped as Yuta hung up.

Haruka sighed. Where even was she? She'd started walking on auto-pilot. Well, there was the Club Sega, so this must be Nakamichi Street.

"Um, excuse me!"

Haruka turned to see a shorter woman jogging up to her. She looked very bookish, chubby around the face with glasses, loose hanging brown hair, a green sweater vest over a white collared shirt and black leggings. She had a computer bag slung over one shoulder.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Were you talking to your – boyfriend on the phone just now?"

"Husband, actually, but yes."

"Alright, perfect! Can I treat you to coffee then?"

Haruka blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"I'd like to take you out to get coffee. Café Alps is right there, so it's not much of a walk."

"Hold on, I don't know what you thought you heard there, but me and my husband aren't at that kind of place in our relationship. At least, not yet."

It was the bookish woman's turn to look confused. "Huh? But you're married, aren't you?"

Is this what all married couples did nowadays?

"I think you've got the wrong idea. Me and Yuta, we're still very much in love. As infatuated as the day we met."

"Yes, exactly. That's exactly why I want to take you to coffee. It'll just be the one time, I promise."

Haruka was almost tempted to agree just to get this woman off her back. Still, it was probably better for everyone to just let her down easy. But how to do it?

"Well, it's just," Haruka stammered out. "I prefer someone a little… taller. I've always been the little spoon, you know. I, um, appreciate the offer and all but-"

The bookish woman slapped her hands to her face. Even past them, Haruka could tell she was glowing a deep red.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I came off completely wrong didn't I?"

"I can't say for sure, I still have no idea what you want."

"I didn't mean- I wanted to have coffee with you so I can interview you."

"… Huh?"

* * *

Haruka agreed to have coffee with the bookish woman if only for the chance that she'd eventually start explaining herself. They took opposite seats at a table, Haruka had a cup of black tea sitting in front of her.

"My name's Mika Higashino." She almost looked expectant at the introduction.

"Haruka Sawamura."

"Have you heard of the book series – The River's Secrets?"

"No, sorry, I don't really read much."

"Oh, no, it's perfectly alright. The River's Secrets is a crime mystery series that just wrapped up a couple months ago. It's about murders happening around Osaka and the detective who tries to solve them. It's named after the fact that the killer always tries to dump the body in the river."

"Sounds, uh, interesting. If you're into murder mysteries at least."

"Well, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm actually the author of that series, and it recently became one of the country's best sellers."

"Congratulations. I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"In particular, and part of what got it so big in the first place, is that the novels became hugely popular with the demographic of middle-aged housewives. Because of this, my publisher wants me to make a romance series now to capitalize on that."

"Oh okay. So, you want me to proofread what you have then?"

"What I have? I don't even know where to start. To tell you the truth, I've never really been in love before. I don't know how the soaring heights of passion or the wallowing depths of heartbreak feel, let alone how to put them into words. I've been sitting in this café all day trying to think of what words to put down, but nothing's come to me. But then, when I wandered outside to stretch my legs, I overheard you talking on the phone. 'That's the exact feeling I need to channel into this book,' I told myself."

Haruka didn't think she and Yuta had been talking about anything that passionate. She didn't even think the conversation was particularly interesting.

"I just want to ask you some questions about your relationship so that I can get some ideas on what to write. I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

Haruka didn't give it much thought. It's not like she had other plans.

"Alright, where do you want to start?"

"Well, why don't we start from the beginning. That's usually where I start. Where were the two of you at in life before you found each other?"

"Well, let's see," Haruka mused. "I was almost 19 at the time. I had just retired from being an idol, not gracefully either. I was afraid of tarnishing the reputation of those close to me who were trying to make their way in the world, so I decided it would be best to just… disappear. I moved down to a tiny town in Hiroshima where I hoped nobody would know who I was. Yuta was a yakuza working in that town."

"A- A yakuza?"

"Please don't get the wrong idea. He's not anything like what you're thinking. He's very nice and noble and very gentle when he needs to be."

"A disgraced ex-idol moves to a small town and meets a yakuza with a heart of gold," Mika scratched her chin. "That's already a pretty solid setup for a love story. Star-crossed lovers, one from the city one from the country, he may be rough around the edges, but she can see something inside of him. It's almost too perfect. Hold on I need to write this down."

Mika took her laptop out of its bag and began typing furiously.

"But of course, that's just the beginning, right?" she continued. "That's before the beginning even. How did you two meet?"

"Well, we saw each other around town a lot, he would sometimes pop into the bar I was working at. But I don't think I really noticed him until one afternoon, when I found him beating up on a patron who had been at the bar the night before. I thought he had gone crazy, or that this was the scary yakuza side of him that I was expecting. But when I asked him what he was doing, he pulled out a camera and showed me a picture of me on it. He said that the guy was a paparazzi who was stalking me."

"That's textbook setup and payoff for the inciting action. If we the audience are privy to the lead girl's past, then we can recognize something from that past coming back to cause conflict. The lead boy is then able to resolve the conflict before it can start, giving the two a reason to come into proper contact. Only question is, how he would know anything about that."

"It's not much of a question. He told me right there. 'Even if folks won't come out 'n say it, we all know who you are.' He'd known all along, and he'd known that I knew he'd known, and I don't think either of us really cared. He liked me for who I was, and after that I liked him for who he was too. It was nice knowing that someone there had my back no matter what."

"I see. Yes that – that's good enough I suppose. It could work. Alright, not everything can be sunshine and rainbows all the time though. Did you ever spend any time apart?"

"Well, after I learned that everyone there knew who I was, things always felt a little – on edge. At least with everyone else. I knew they meant well, but I couldn't shake the feeling that things would only get worse for them if I stuck around. Me and Yuta had one, uh," Haruka tried to shake the blush in her face away. "One last night with each other, and then I left."

"Oh my." Mika placed a hand to her mouth. "How dramatic."

"Yeah. I thought a lot about all of them when I was gone, along with all the people I'd left behind to go to Hiroshima in the first place, but Yuta was who I thought of the most. That last night left an impression on me. In more ways than one, I guess."

"What's that mean?"

"Well, uh, after that I had our baby."

"Woah. You had his kid without even being married first? And he wasn't even around for it? That's – that's quite brave of you, Haruka."

Haruka cleared her throat. "Thanks. It wasn't exactly what I'd planned to do at that age, but I can't really call it a mistake at this point."

"Well, yeah, you're obviously back together now. So how did you meet up again after that?"

"Well, I was back in Kamurocho for a bit – and I got hit with a car and went into a coma."

Mika nearly choked on her tea.

"Wh- What?"

"Apparently Yuta, who's an orphan like me, his father was actually the head of a giant triad that was operating out of the city at the time. A lot of people were trying to take our son out of the picture, since he was a potential heir. Yuta had to fight his own father and the heads of several other crime organizations to finally solve the situation."

"That's, um, hmm," Mika quietly sipped her tea. "That all, uh, actually happened?"

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I do. I don't know if I could put anything like that in my story, though. I mean, the publisher is trying to get me away from crime drama."

"Oh. Well, sorry I couldn't help more."

"No, you're doing fine. So where is he now? Is he in the city too or are you split again?"

"We're not _split._ We're just – long distance at the moment. Money troubles caught up with us, so I had to move away and get a job out here. He's still in Hiroshima, raising our kid."

"I see. Financial difficulties are a pretty popular motivating factor with today's generation. But we'd definitely have to get the two leads back together by the end. Or maybe that would be better subject matter for the sequel."

"And that's where we're at now. It should be the whole story. Did you have anything else to ask?"

"Just a few more general questions. This is an adult book, so I need to ask about the sex."

Haruka clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from repeating the word way louder than was acceptable in a bustling café.

"You can't ask me about that," she eventually said.

"Please, Haruka, I need help. I don't know what I'm talking about. You don't have to tell me the details of your personal life, just explain how the act normally is for any average couple."

"Well, um," Haruka was having trouble meeting Mika's eager eyes. "I think, in general, it happens – a lot."

"A lot?"

"Well," she coughed. "I told you about that night – before I left. That night, we went through a whole box, but I'm pretty sure most couples usually go through twice that in a night. We're both pretty conservative when it comes to, you know, relations."

"A whole… box?"

"You know," Haruka covered her face and was only barely whispering her words. "Condoms."

"Oh. Oh… Wait, you used a whole box? That doesn't seem right."

"Like I said, I think most couples use way more than that, but quality over quantity and all that. After the last one we did it one more time and, well, that's how Haruto came to be."

"Haruka – Yuta – Haruto. Oh, I get it. That's cute."

"It is, isn't it?"

"Okay, one last question. Could you just describe how you feel around your husband? Just the general feeling when you're around him and when you're talking to him. What does love feel like to you, I guess is what I'm asking."

Haruka placed a pensive hand to her chin. She knew what she meant, but it was tough to put the exact feeling into words.

"It's like," Haruka started. "It's like a… heat… burning inside you."

"Heat? Like a sexual heat?"

"No. Like – like an emotional heat. It's like there's blue fire burning around you. But not in a painful way."

"I think you've lost me."

"It's like – It's like he gives me something to fight for. If he wasn't in the world anymore, I couldn't handle myself, so there's a determination burning inside me to make sure he can continue being here with me. I feel like I could take down an army when he's by my side."

"Uh-huh," Mika said slowly. She finished typing something on her laptop, then folded it up and put it back in her bag. "I think that's everything. Thank you so much for the help, Haruka."

"Don't mention it."

"I'll probably have to interview a couple more people to get the whole real picture, but you've definitely given me a strong baseline for a story, I think. At the very least it should be enough to pacify my publisher."

"I'm glad I could help."

"And don't worry, I won't plagiarize your life story too much, in case you ever want to write a book yourself."

"Write a book, huh? I guess I never really thought about it."

"You should give it a try, it sounds like you've got a really interesting life." Mika stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Well, I've got to go now, you take care of yourself."

Haruka nodded. "You too."

Writing her own book? It was an idea, but… would anyone actually be interested in something like that? Surely not, right? Especially compared to the adventures her Uncle Kaz went on.


	10. Chapter 7: Keeper of Secrets

Impact.

Haruka's fist rocked the man's cheek. He stumbled back into a wall, grasping at the brickwork behind him for support.

"I thought I made myself clear," Haruka growled. "Stop. Following. Me."

The yakuza for his part didn't have much of a response, at least not past his terrified expression.

Haruka sighed, then hit him with a hook to the face that sent him to the ground.

So much for not getting into any fights.

Out in the cityscape, the sun had already sunk below the towering buildings and was making its way past the horizon for the night. Purgatory would be open soon.

Haruka was uneasy. She didn't expect Takeshi to skip town, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he might anyways. Without him the trail went cold. Given this morning's events, maybe she should've just stayed and gotten the information anyways.

Nothing to do about it now, though. Haruka entered Millennium Tower through the back entrance again, took the elevator up to the 60th floor, and stepped into Purgatory. Everything was exactly as it had been last night, obscenely wealthy businessmen gambled their hearts out, partygoers talked loud and drank louder, men brutalized each other in the ring just outside, and Takeshi was nowhere to be found.

However, the bartender from last night had told her that he usually showed up late, she would just have to wait it out before knowing anything. In the meantime, she ordered something from the bar. She'd need a drink or two in her before she was ready to deal with Takeshi either way.

Twenty-two minutes passed, twenty-two minutes that Haruka spent in silence, staring into her shot glass. And then a side door was violently kicked open, so she hopped off her stool.

"What's up bitches!? How the fuck y'all enjoying ya' boy Takeshi's entertainment for the night, huh?" It was then that he noticed Haruka stalking towards him. "Ah shit."

"Hey Takeshi," Haruka said. "You don't look happy to see me. Did you think I might bleed out on the street?"

Takeshi responded with a shaky hand gesture and an unsure noise. "Kinda hoping, can't lie. But nah, it's cool, it's a'ight, ya' boy always follows through on his deals, that's how you do motherfucking business in this city feel me? And if there's one thing ya' boy can do, it's business."

"The Florist, Takeshi. Where can I find him?"

"I fucking know bitch, just give me a second a'ight. Okay yo," he began calling out to a crowd that did not appear to be listening to him. "The real shit's gon'a start a little later than usual tonight, I got to do some business with this ho-" Takeshi caught the glare Haruka was shooting him. "-angry customer right quick, then we'll get onto it. Hate to do this to y'all, you know that. Matter fact, tell ya' what, next round's on me, to make it up to y'all, how's that sound."

An appreciative whoop met him in return from most everybody in the room. That was a surprise to say the least.

"Now," he continued. "If you will join me in my office."

Takeshi lead Haruka behind the bar and through a door between two shelves of high-end vodka.

Takeshi's "office" was pretty barren. A single desk in the center of the room, with a cheap office chair behind it and a couple equally cheap chairs sitting in front. Outside of that, the room wasn't furnished in the slightest. The paint on the walls was bland and generic, the carpet looked musty and old. Haruka got the feeling he didn't spend a lot of time in here.

There were also two women in the room. One sat in the office chair, she had blonde dyed hair, the other sat on the desk, she didn't. Both wore heavy makeup and very loose-fitting traditional robes.

"-and then he told me, like," said the one in the chair. "That he doesn't eat out, that that's not what 'the man' does."

"Ha ha!" The one on the desk nearly snorted. "Man fuck that guy."

"Fucking know, right? I was like, 'listen bitch, if you can't stick your neck out to do the most basic thing, then no way in hell you're going to-' Oh, hi daddy."

"Don't fucking 'hi daddy' me," Takeshi said. "Fuck y'all doing in here? Y'all know you ain't supposed to be in the office."

The two women exchanged a glance.

"Since when?" asked the one on the desk.

"Bitch since always."

"But you _always_ want to do the desk thing. Like, always always."

"Not when I'm trying to do business! Now scram, pigeons."

The woman in the chair gave a huff and a "Whatever." Both of them hopped to their feet and took their leave. Haruka heard them continue to talk as they went.

"I think Taira and Kiyomi get off soon, want to get a poker game set up?"

"Sure, could always use some more of your money."

"Tch, you bitch."

The door closed behind them and, all of a sudden, the noise from outside was gone. Haruka took a moment to appreciate the quiet before it could leave again.

"Bitches, right?" Takeshi asked.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Fucking anyways, alright." Takeshi plopped down into the office chair and let it spin around a few times before stopping himself. "Here's the shit, I'll tell you where the Florist is, but you absolutely cannot let it come back to me. This the one place on earth he ain't got eyes and ears, so we need to give you a story. Maybe, uh, you got this friend see, does some work on the side delivering for the Florist, got in deep in some debt and you was showing up to help him out but then you overhear him selling the information on the Florist to the people he owe money to, yeah, and then-"

"Just tell me where he is, Takeshi."

"Yeah yeah, bitch, I'm getting to it." He reached down into his desk, pulled out a couple large rolls of paper, and spread them out over the desk. City planning maps and construction blueprints from the look of things. "Y'all know Kamurocho Hills, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah. So shits is usually all closed up at night, that area's all day shopping and offices, yeah? And you know, they got them little ponds about the place, got them koi fish and turtles and shit. Find the one… here." He pressed a finger down on the largest map. Then paused. "No, here." His finger moved and pressed down on a spot a couple inches away. "Yeah. So in the middle of the pond here there's this kind of circley spot in the middle where you can stand, so you got to stand there, yeah? And then there's a rock nearby that's got some bumps in it, and the code is 8918. You got all that?"

Haruka took an extra moment to memorize where he was pointing to and where that would be in the Hills.

"Yeah, got it."

"In that case," he rolled all the papers back up. "Our business is done."

"By the way, would you know any way to get there without having to take the streets?"

"Fuck kind of trouble you in girl? Damn. Aye, nah, don't worry about it, I get that question a lot. Take the elevator down to B10. There's a maintenance hatch that leads to the sewers down there."

"You don't need an ID card or anything?"

"Fuck nah, they don't need to cause everyone thinks that you do so no one tries it. Smart shit right?"

"Alright." Haruka gave that sentence a moment's attempt at translation then turned to leave. "Thanks for your help, Takeshi."

"Hey hey hold up what about your story?"

"Right, my story." She pushed the door open. "My story is that the idiot in charge of Purgatory sold out the Florist to a nobody off the street in exchange for a single night in his fight ring."

"Wha- Wait. You motherfu-" And then the door closed behind her.

* * *

Haruka used her phone's flashlight to light her way down the spacious sewer catwalks. Most of Uncle Kaz's friends were forced to come down here at some point, for some reason, and now Haruka's only question was how they could handle the smell.

Perhaps she should have expected an entire city's raw sewage to smell bad, but she couldn't have expected anything to smell this bad.

Her mental map of Kamurocho was the only thing she had to go on as she wandered deeper into the system of tunnels, but she was familiar enough with the city to be confident in its accuracy. Only real issue was keeping concentrated while choking on the stench.

As the one place in the city where the homeless people hadn't been chased out, she spotted the occasional camp in a corner or cubby, but most of the men down here were either already asleep or keeping to themselves, and anyone who wasn't was probably begging topside. Haruka drew in a few curious glances, but she did her best to ignore them and move on.

Up ahead she saw a ladder and a manhole in the ceiling. She should be close to Kamurocho Hills now, so that must be her exit.

It took a fair bit of effort to move the manhole cover while keeping her balance on the rungs, but as soon as she got it out of the way, letting in the harsh, artificial light from outside, she poked her head out and checked her surroundings.

This was… the parking lot on Shichifuko Street. Perfect. Kamurocho Hills was only a block north.

Haruka warily ran up to the wall surrounding the Hills, keeping an eye out on anyone who might notice her. All the entrances were currently closed up with rolling overhead doors. Convenient that Takeshi hadn't mentioned this, but she may have been beyond going back to ask.

Haruka crept up to the nearest one. There was a small handle at the bottom. She gave it a jimmy. Of course, it was locked.

Haruka took in a deep breath. What she was about to do was probably very stupid.

She gave the handle a forceful yank. The lock inside the door broke.

Haruka took a moment, looking around, ears perked for the faintest sound of an alarm of siren.

Nothing happened. Haruka let her breath go. She lifted the door up slightly and slipped inside.

Walking through the pathways of Kamurocho Hills while everything was closed gave Haruka an eerie sensation in the back of her brain. She'd been here a couple times. For the most part anything she could buy was way too high-end for her to afford, but Natsuko sent her through on errands a couple of times. Enough times to recognize the place at least, but without the bustling crowd of people, it felt like a ghost town. Like the apocalypse had happened while she was underground or something.

Haruka pushed the thought out of her mind and did her best to recall and head towards where Takeshi had pointed to.

She walked up to a small, decorative pond. Koi fish drifted lazily around a central platform which ended just under the water's surface. A couple of sleeping turtles sat on top of it. As soon as Haruka stepped close, they woke up and dove into the water.

Haruka jumped over onto the platform. Around the pond was a ring of stones. She squatted down to look at them closer. In the low light, it was very hard to make out the surfaces. That she was looking for "bumps" on rocks certainly didn't help.

Haruka blinked. One of the stones stood out against the others. It wasn't anything relevant, it just happened to be a paler shade than the ones around it. But now that it had her attention, she peered a little bit closer.

On the stone's face were nine almost unnoticeable bumps, but arranged in a perfect 3x3 grid.

She reached out and pushed in on the bottom middle bump. It sank in under her touch.

A numpad. Exactly what she was looking for.

The password was… 8-9-1-8.

The ground underneath her rumbled. Haruka stood up and stumbled a little while trying to keep her balance. Very slowly, the platform began sinking down into the pond.

No, there was a tube around the platform that kept the pond where it was, Haruka was being taken underneath it, underneath the Hills themselves.

The platform lowered Haruka into darkness. The streets above had been dark already, but down here was pitch black. What little light had been up there was now casting a soft spotlight down around her.

When she finally reached the ground, there was a circle maybe a meter wide of visibility and absolutely nothing beyond that.

"Hello?" she called out into the darkness. "I'm looking for the Florist."

Haruka's ear twitched. Something rustled in the darkness. Haruka turned to face it, seeing nothing.

"Is someone there?"

The question hung in the air for a moment. No reply came.

Another sound. Haruka spun to face it and took her fighting stance. That one definitely sounded like footsteps.

"Are you the Florist? I'm not here to cause any trouble."

A sound drifted out from the darkness. There was no ambiguity about that one. Someone, somewhere down here, cackled madly in the dark.

A flash of movement caught in the corner of her eye, just along the edge of the light. By the time she turned to face it, it was gone.

Again. Haruka spun in time to completely miss the person. Someone was screwing with her. She turned slowly, terrified of the thought of showing this mystery person her back.

They shot from the darkness like a cannonball. Out of instinct, Haruka, leaned out of the way, dodging their whole body as they launched from one end of the circle of light to the other.

Haruka hadn't caught much. A blur of blue, a flash of silver, something black around their face. The details were slipping from her mind as soon as she realized they were there. And like that, she was back to following noises in the dark.

Haruka swallowed and steadied herself. She was tired of playing the mouse in this game. Only thing to do now was strike back.

The blur shot out of the dark again. Haruka pivoted her body to the side, avoiding their outstretched arm and the dagger being held in it, and with her front hand she thrust a palm forward, slamming into their chin and sending them to the ground well within the ring of light. He spun back to his feet before Haruka had even realized who she was looking at.

Her brow furrowed.

"Uncle Ma?"

He was a bit, well, older since she'd last seen him. His bowl cut was shaggier with streaks of grey, as was the beard that had inched itself a little farther around his face. His snakeskin jacket had been replaced by a much longer, yet equally open, blue velvet robe with golden peacocks embroidered on either side, though his eyepatch, leather pants, and steel-toed shoes largely looked the same.

And if one thing hadn't changed a bit, it was the sly smile that Goro Majima flashed as he slinked back into the darkness.

"Uncle Ma, it's me."

Haruka heard the ruffle of cloth behind her and spun on the spot in time to see Majima's dagger-wielding arm jut out from the darkness. Haruka pivoted on her toes, sidestepped the stab and grabbed Majima's arm, yanking him into the light. As he stumbled forward, she stomped down into the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel, then sent him flying back with a roundhouse to the head.

Majima touched ground with his hand and sprang back to his feet, skidding a little before stopping and then charging in again. He swung his dagger in a wide slash, Haruka sucked in her gut and leaned back, watching the blade pass in front of her stomach, then leaned back in and carried the momentum into a straight right at Majima's nose. He staggered back, and Haruka rocked his chin with an uppercut, then his stomach with her knee.

Majima bent in the middle. Haruka wrapped an arm around his throat and jumped. She fell into the ground with her shoulder, dragged Majima along with her and he fell into her shoulder with his face. They hit the ground. Majima's head bounced up from the impact and he swayed for a second before falling onto his back, spread eagle.

Haruka approached him carefully. He was still breathing, so that was good.

She knelt at his side and whispered. "Uncle Ma?"

No response. She leaned in, studying his reaction ever more closely. He didn't look out. Not yet.

His eye flashed open and his mouth twitched into a wide grin. Haruka had just enough time to realize the trap before his head shot forward, slamming into her nose.

Haruka fell back on her ass and clutched her nose. Majima pushed with his hands and flipped back onto his feet, then sprang off the balls of his feet and launched himself through the air towards Haruka. A brutal scissor kick hit her in the face and sent her tumbling back, out of the ring of light and into the darkness.

Haruka came to a stop on her hands and knees. When she finally looked up, the circle of light was empty.

Haruka booked it. So long as she could see the spotlight, the path was clear, she just had to keep running.

A hand latched onto her ankle. She spilled to the ground.

Haruka twisted onto her back and began stomping at the hand around her leg. Eventually it conceded and withdrew, and when it did, she aimed one last kick at his body. She heard him grunt from the darkness and took the opportunity to climb to her feet and finish her mad dash back into the light.

As soon as she was able to catch her breath, she turned back around, readying herself. As she did, Majima lunged through the air and out of the shadows. He bent his legs back, then thrust them out, catching Haruka in the chest and sending her flying back out of the light again.

She landed on… something.

Office chair, she landed on an office chair, it rolled a little under her weight but Haruka brought it to a stop with her feet.

She looked up. Majima was out of the light again, hiding in the darkness. Haruka desperately searched the darkness, studied it for any kind of tell.

A glint caught her eye. A tiny speck of light along the ground. As it moved, Haruka realized what she was looking at. The steel tips of Majima's shoes inaudibly clacked along the ground. Polished to perfection, they managed to catch what little light was streaming in.

With them, Haruka was able to study Majima's movements. Darting about as he had been, Haruka was surprised to see him now. He was moving slow, like a confident predator. Haruka knew he was waiting for his chance, she just needed to be ready when he took it.

He walked slowly around her.

Then he ran forward.

And he jumped.

Haruka braced herself on the armrests and shoved her feet into the air. The glint of Majima's shoes disappeared back into the darkness, but she felt his weight land on her. She pushed up. He went flying over her head and crashed into something heavy behind her.

She spun in the chair and kicked off, rolling back into the ring of light.

Haruka stood on the office chair, shifting slightly to keep her balance, and watched Majima leap back into the light. Haruka leaped off the chair to meet him.

They flew through the air to meet each other. Haruka's time was limited. She couldn't look at his face, she had to study his body. How it was angled, where it was going. She had only a second left to take aim.

She leveraged her weight, twisted through the air, brought a fist high over her head then swung it down. The punch connected with the top of Majima's skull, and he shot to the ground, face-first.

Haruka watched as he hit the floor. His head hit the tiles hard enough to bounce back up off of it. He flopped in the air like a fish out of water before landing roughly on his back.

Haruka was now soaring through the air with no plan on how to land. She crashed onto her shoulder and tumbled for a bit before finally coming to a stop. For a minute, both her and Majima just lay apart from each other, on opposite ends of the ring of light, breathing heavily.

When the minute passed, Haruka slowly got to her feet. Majima stayed on the floor, eye wide open, and began letting out a cracked, wheezing laugh.

"Holy shit," he croaked out. "You really are Kazzy's kid, ain't you?"

"What - what are you talking about? What was that?"

"Come on. I've been locked up in here for a hot fucking minute. I haven't had a proper scrap in who knows how long. Give an old man this much at least."

"You could have just asked."

"Ah, but this is way more fun, isn't it? My entrance was cool right? Jumping out of the dark like that?"

Majima reached up and clapped his hands together twice. The lights came on with an electrical hum, and the platform in the middle started rising back up, leaving a pillar in the middle of the room.

The room itself was large, two stories tall and the size of a house but without any walls or dividers outside of the four main ones. In one corner was a bed and nightstand, in another was a toilet that offered no sense of privacy, and along the opposite wall was a desk that stretched from corner to corner, with a dozen monitors and a dozen keyboards along it, a couple of which had toppled over in the fight.

Monitors were also embedded in the wall, stacked on top of each other by the dozen and ringed around the whole room. One of the monitors, which was fixed just above the desk, sat in the middle of all the others, and was the size of about 9 put together. A minute after the lights came on, these too sprung to life, showing footage from around every corner of Kamurocho. The big one was just showing an empty back alley.

Majima held a hand up. Haruka took it and helped him onto his feet. He thanked her by ruffling her hair.

"So, how's it hanging Harry?"

Haruka had all but forgotten about that nickname.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? What is this place, what are you doing here?"

"This," he gave a grand, sweeping gesture. "Is my home away from home. Back when I was building these Hills with my two bare hands, I made sure to install a safehouse for when I need to lay low. Pretty swanky, wouldn't you agree?"

Haruka's attention was brought back to the toilet.

"Looks like a prison cell."

"Ah-hah. She's perceptive and poetic."

"So, this all means that you – you're the Florist?"

"Certainly not a camgirl. Not yet at least."

Haruka clapped her hands together and smiled. "This is perfect, then!"

Majima crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Is it now?"

"Uncle Ma, please, I need your help with this. It's something only you can do."

"And let me guess, you want to use, nay, dare I say, abuse our past friendship and my current position to get information without paying me my fair wage?"

Haruka squinted up at him. "The original plan was to beat the information out of you."

"I'd rather take a hundred beatings than devalue my work like this. If you think you can take me, that is."

Haruka's fist bunched at her side. She steadied her breathing and studied Majima's next actions.

His face was like a stone, cold, unfeeling, and unchanging.

And then it broke, and he began laughing at her.

"I'm fucking with you, Harry."

Haruka let her shoulders loosen and sighed.

"Did I scare you?" he asked.

"A little." she admitted.

"Nah, I know why you're here."

"You do?"

"Sure. The, uh – how'd you put it – 'the idiot in charge of Purgatory' hasn't realized that I left a couple cameras up there with him."

Majima sauntered over to the desk. He tapped at a few keys, and the big monitor's image changed from the empty alleyway to the office up in Purgatory. The two girls who had been hanging out in there earlier were now joined by two more friends in similar garb, all sitting around the desk. Cards and chips and bottles of booze were scattered about everywhere.

Majima picked his office chair off the ground, set it upright, gave it a spin, then collapsed into it.

"So what's the story morning glory? Who do you need to find bad enough to search out the Florist of all people, and why?"

"Do you know Taro Kitamura?"

"The securities guy? Not personally, but I heard he went missing a couple days ago."

"The Tojo Clan are after him. I need to find him before they do."

"Ah. Tojo shit. Don't say another word, I don't even want to know. Got a picture of the guy?"

Haruka pulled up the picture Date had sent her and tossed the phone to Majima. He didn't hesitate for a moment before typing away at it.

"When was the last time you saw this guy?"

"It was… two days ago. Around noon."

"Uh-huh." Haruka heard a message sending noise. "Alright. I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow." He tossed her the phone back, which she caught and slipped back into her pocket. "I'm not quite as good as the other guy yet. Haven't quite mastered the art of keeping my eye on everything going on at once, so we're going to have to rely on facial recognition for this one. Given the amount of footage the computer has to look through, it's going to take, by my estimate, a long fucking time. Couple hours at minimum, probably longer."

"I'd rather be here when you find out. I can wait."

"I'm sorry, did you not notice the toilet situation?"

Haruka had not considered the toilet situation.

"Take it from me kid, you do not want to hang out down here any longer than you have to. Go on. Get out of here. I call back, ask around. It's fine."

Haruka still hesitated.

"How about this. You head out now and let me do my shit, I promise after this is over I'll put on my public-walking disguise and we can catch up. I'll even pay."

Haruka huffed. "Alright. You call me the second you have the information, though. Whatever I'm doing, I'll drop it."

"You got yourself a deal." Majima spun his chair over to the desk and hit a few keys. The platform in the middle started lowering itself back down.

"Oh, wait," Majima turned around and pointed a serious finger towards Haruka. "While I've got you here, something real important I got to tell you."

Haruka was listening.

"Get some sleep, huh. You look like shit."

Haruka gave a tiny smirk and stepped onto the platform.

"See you later Uncle Ma."


	11. Chapter 8: Sand in the Hourglass

Kamurocho was a red-light district. This meant that, even as establishments opened and closed for the night, the city was never truly inactive. People were up and about at all hours of every day.

But there was a shift that happened a little after 4 in the morning. After a majority of the nightlife crowd had gone home to sleep off a hangover that would follow them to work the next day, but before the early risers could set off for their straight-laced office jobs, this was when the city walked but was, by all means, completely dead.

The last drunken stragglers were being kicked out of closing bars and shambled in the streets. Only a few would be cognizant enough to make it home. Several would wake up on the sidewalk, stiff and covered in dry vomit. The only business to be conducted at these hours was the most illicit kind. Those who deal in the business of death, after all, fear the revealing light of day and the sounds of humanity being so close to their plans.

It was at this point in time that Haruka snuck back into Kamurocho Hills and took the elevator down to see Majima.

The lights were kept on. Majima didn't seem to even notice her come down. He was sitting in his chair, slouched and dazed looking, staring up at the largest wall monitor. In its screen was the front of a big, fancy, glass-fronted apartment complex. It was too bright to be a live feed, this looked like it had happened around sunset.

A woman walked into frame. She looked clean, professional, powerful almost. Her dark hair was kept short, stopping just above the shoulders. Her bangs were sharp and her gaze was soft. Everything about her seemed youthful, but if Haruka looked hard enough she could make out the lines of age and experience about her eyes. She had a blue blazer with a matching skirt, and a cluster of flowers held gently in her arms. She entered the building through the revolving door, gave the person behind the desk a nod and a smile, then walked off frame.

Majima pressed a key. The monitor shifted to an awkward, upward angle of the apartment building. About five or six stories up the same woman appeared in the window. She placed the flowers in an empty vase, adding it to a collection of several others that lined the bottom of the windowsill. Someone called for her from inside the apartment. She turned around, calling back, and left the frame.

Majima pressed a key. The monitor shifted back to the footage at the apartment's front door, and looped onto itself.

"She's very pretty," Haruka said.

Majima nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Jesus Mary and Joseph, Harry. You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Who is she?"

"Huh?" Majima looked back up at the monitor, watched the woman go in again, then turned away. "Ah, you know. Just a hot piece of ass I managed to spot out on the streets. Thought I'd follow her home, see if I couldn't catch her undressing. You know how city girls be."

Haruka gave him a look. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

"Ah well, past is the past. What're you doing back here so soon? Facial recognition scanner hasn't finished doing its whole shebang yet."

Haruka blearily rubbed her eye. "Couldn't sleep."

"Nightmares?"

Haruka nodded. "A few."

"Yeah, I feel that."

Majima spun his chair back around to face the monitors. Haruka walked up, crossed her arms and laid her chin on the backrest.

"What happened Uncle Ma?"

Majima glanced up at her the best he could. "Hm?"

"What happened?" She repeated with a sigh. "Uncle Kaz left you and Daigo to fix the Tojo Clan. I don't recognize anybody there now, and it feels like things are back to exactly where they were."

"Ha. Daigo spent like 10 years trying to 'fix' the Tojo Clan, didn't seem to do a lick of good then. What were we going to do now?"

"So you just… gave up?"

Majima sighed. "Kazzy left us to keep the Tojo in line, sure. But I think the only thing capable of holding that hot mess together was him. The day after he kicked it, me and Daigo both had enough. The two of us handed in our resignation letters, same day. Last I heard, Daigo moved up north, started herding sheep or something. I'm sure he's happier now."

"You couldn't even wait a day before going back on your promise?"

"My promise?" Majima spun his seat around to face her, knocking her off the chair. "Kazzy always wanted me back in the Tojo. Always wanted me back into trying to hold this collapsing shit pile together. He never seemed all that interested in what I wanted. What was I promised in return, huh?"

"Stop it."

"I was trying to get out of the business all the way back in '06. But it was always more important that I come back and clean up someone else's mess. I'm not nobody's janitor, and I wasn't going to spend the tail end of my life being one. Maybe Kazzy wanted me to stick around but I wanted literally anything else."

"How can you not see how selfish you're being?"

"You want to talk about this? You really want to get into this? Well, what happened to you, Harry? Pretty sure the last thing Kazzy wanted was his kids involving themselves with the Tojo."

"I'm not involved with the Tojo."

"Good one. Kicking the hornet's nest and claiming absolute innocence. Smart thinking."

"I'm fighting against them! I'm not involved with them! That's the exact opposite!"

"It's not the opposite. It's the opposite of the opposite in fact. Whatever you want to call it, what you're doing is sticking yourself into their world."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Majima pushed himself to his feet and began to pace.

"The world of the civilian and the world of the yakuza. They're distinct, separate realities that people live in. A civilian can range from the homeless dudes stinking up the street to the billionaire tycoon living on top of the world. They can have not a single problem to their name or every single kind of problem on earth. But you know the one thing that ties them all together? Insignificance. In the world of the yakuza, they couldn't tell you jack shit about any given civilian. At best they're a nameless, faceless source of revenue. But once you enter the world of the yakuza, everyone in it knows your name, your face, your past, who you care about and how to break you."

Majima stalked back over to the desk and jabbed at a key. The footage from earlier, the apartment building, started looping again.

"You wanted to know who she is? She's the woman I loved." His face faltered. "Love. Have for thirty fucking years now. And the reason she's up there while I'm down here is because she deserves better than to get shot in the back by someone trying to make my life more of a living hell than it already is. She deserves better than to be trapped in this – in this prison cell with me. She had the chance to cut all ties and burn all bridges to the yakuza world and I made damn well sure to get her out while I could. Staying out of it makes you a nobody, and that's exactly what you want to be with these people. Somebody worth noticing always has a bad time of things."

"If you say she had her chance to get out, well, I didn't. The only thing I've done is fight back."

"Looking for the guy they want to off is a bit more than fighting back, isn't it?"

"They'd think I'd know where to find Taro whether I went to Purgatory or not. Whether I came to you or not. I didn't try to be somebody, they made me somebody, I didn't have a choice Uncle Ma."

"You had a choice. Don't pull this bullshit on me, you had a choice."

"Well – Well, you had a choice too. You had a choice and you chose to betray Uncle Kaz and live down here by yourself in your own filth."

Majima turned on Haruka with an intensity in his eye that made her, for a split second, wonder if she'd made a terrible mistake.

"Yeah, you're right. I had a choice. It was a much harder choice than you seem to think it is, but I had a choice and I stick by my decision. In my entire tenure as a soldier to the Tojo Clan, it's the only good thing I've ever been able to do for anyone."

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Majima's frown peaked, then softened. He slowed his breathing, walked over, and collapsed back into his chair. He turned to face the monitors again, away from Haruka.

It looked like he was about to start saying something a few times. Each time he'd turn, look at Haruka with his eyepatch, then turn away and fall back into silence. Haruka waited with concern for what he had to say.

"The day after Kazzy kicked it, both me and Daigo handed in our resignation letters."

"You said that already."

"Daigo did everything the proper way. Did the paperwork, named a successor, got all his affects in order, bowed out to a huge, respectful procession, and left."

Haruka wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"But you know me. Your old Uncle Ma can never do things the easy way. Daigo probably had the right idea, just get out and don't look back. Maybe I could be relaxing on a beach somewhere right now, but I had a choice and I chose what I thought was the right thing to do."

"What do you mean?"

"They arrested the guy who did it. He'd been caught in his grand scheme, he would atone for all his crimes, the way Kazzy would have wanted it. Nice and clean. No one gets hurt. The guilty receive their punishment and all that jazz. But that night – that night I betrayed your Uncle Kaz before I even considered leaving the Clan."

Haruka's brow furrowed.

"I broke into the holding cell where they were keeping the ratfuck, and I slashed his throat while he slept."

"You – what?"

"Daigo hadn't been reinstated as chairman yet. It had only been a couple hours at that point, there wasn't really time. I killed the acting patriarch of the Tojo Clan. Whether people liked him or not, whether he was basically out of the game or not, that's a crime punishable by death in the world of both the yakuza and the civilian. Civilians have laws, and the yakuza have their code. You pegged it right, this place is my prison cell, Harry. And it's the only thing keeping me alive at this point."

Haruka didn't know what to say. The two of them just sat in the silence for a minute.

"If you want to, I don't know, leave or beat me up or what have you, that's understandable. I-"

Haruka spun Majima's chair around, pulled him to his feet, and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"Thank you…" she breathed.

Majima looked confused, and awkwardly patted Haruka on the back.

"Ah, well," Majima smiled. "Now we're both defiling Kazzy's memory."

"Stop it," Haruka mumbled from inside Majima's chest.

Majima nodded and stopped talking. He returned the embrace, though awkwardly and mostly with reassuring pats. He was largely waiting for Haruka to release the hug, but as the moments went by that wasn't seeming likely.

The computer at the far end of the desk lit up and gave a beep. Haruka and Majima both looked up at it.

"What's that?" Haruka asked.

Majima sat down in his chair again and kicked his way over to the computer.

"Looks like the facial recognition program finished its shit. Want to see what we got?"

"You're still going to help me?"

"Well shit. You're Kazzy's kid ain't you? If I told you no, you'd just find a way to do it anyways."

Haruka gave a sniff, steeled herself, then nodded. Majima smiled, nodded back, then went to town on the keyboard.

Footage popped up on the largest monitor. Taro stepped out the doors of the Anytime Fitness, Haruka managed to spot herself coming out just after him before the camera cut away. Taro continued to head south down Senryo Avenue. The camera cut to an intersection, Taro approached it and turned right down Taihei Boulevard. A couple more cuts and he was walking next to the Millennium Tower. He rounded a corner, then went into the tower's east basement exit. The footage cut to the opposite side of the tower just outside Theater Square, and Taro slowly exited. The footage cut to a wide shot of the square, Haruka watching his head bob in and out of the crowd before reaching the end and turning down Theater Alley. The footage cut to him exiting the alley along Taihei Boulevard. One more cut and he finally went down a set of stairs and into a building. The footage stopped there.

"What happened next?" Haruka asked.

"As far as I can tell, that's the last time he's been seen anywhere in the city."

"So - he's still down there?"

"I don't know. It's strange."

"What is? If he hasn't come out, then that means he's still in that building, right?"

"Not necessarily, but probably. That's not what's strange though. See that, that's a whorehouse."

Haruka's eyebrows furrowed. "A brothel?"

"Nah. Brothels are big, soapland looking places with nice smelling pretty girls who let you get it wet. That is a whorehouse."

"So he went into a brothel…"

"And hasn't come out for two days. I know a lot of guys who wish they never had to leave places like that, but they don't usually allow overnight guests."

"Something's up." Haruka spun on her toes and ran onto the platform in the middle of the room. "Thanks again, Uncle Ma."

"Don't mention it," he called back out. "And I'm serious, get some fucking sleep."


	12. Chapter 9: Den of Shadows

The brothel on Taihei Boulevard was a bit of a trick to find. No advertisements or signs lead to the entrance, it was apparently up to the clientele to know how to get in.

Perhaps that should have been obvious.

Still, Haruka managed to nail down exactly where she'd seen Taro disappear to on the footage. At the bottom of the set of stairs was a normal door. She tried the knob, but it was locked. A sign on the side told her to knock for service.

Haruka sighed and did as the sign told her to. A few minutes passed before anything happened.

"Why are you here?" asked a voice from behind the door.

Odd question. Haruka only just noticed that the door had peephole in it. That would complicate things a little.

"I'm looking for someone," she responded. "Is there a Taro Kitamura here?"

No response. Haruka waited at the door for a full minute in silence before growing concerned.

"Hey. Hey!" She started banging on the door. "Let me in!"

No response.

"Dammit," she muttered. Haruka took a deep breath, took a step back, and prepared herself.

Her leg shot forward and slammed into door's lock. Wood splintered with a sharp crack, and the door flew open.

Past the door was a lengthy hallway. The lights were kept very dim, so it was hard to see clearly past a couple feet. Doors lined either side. Some of them were left slightly open, behind each was a tiny room with nothing more than a bed in it.

Something was odd about the scene, though. At the end of the hallways stood two women. They weren't prostitutes, or at least they didn't look like it. They both wore jet black, full body, leather armor. Around their necks and covering the bottom halves of their faces, in stark contrast, billowed crimson red scarves.

Haruka blinked.

They held their hands clasped together in front of their face, two fingers extended to the ceiling. The only difference between the two seemed to be their hair. The one on the left had short, dark brown hair, the one on the right had longer, black hair tied back in a tall ponytail.

"Uh," Haruka started.

Their eyes flashed open. Haruka gave a tiny gasp as she stepped back, and as soon as she looked back up again both of the girls were gone.

Haruka turned, the space behind her was still empty. Her eyes narrowed, and she began to carefully make her way forward. She did her best to peer into what rooms had open doors as she passed, but in this level of light she couldn't be sure they were actually empty without completely checking each one.

She held her breath.

A flash and a crack came from her right, she sidestepped before she even realized what it was. A katana had stabbed through a closed door from the other side, sending a spray of wood chips to the ground. It then retracted back, and the ninja with the brown hair kicked the door open. She held the sword by her head, in an upward, forward facing stance. There was a moment of silence. Then she attacked.

The ninja began to swing her sword, blisteringly fast but not wildly or uncontrolled. Every swipe forced Haruka to hop backwards, staying on her toes and just out of the ninja's reach. She left no gaps in her offense for Haruka to capitalize on, each swipe of the sword was followed up with perfectly. Haruka was forced to dance back up towards the entrance.

She took a deep breath and circled to the ninja's right, then juked forward. The ninja slashed in retaliation. Haruka pulled back at the last second, and then used the momentum to jump forward, grab her around the waist, and send them both sprawling into one of the rooms.

As Haruka recovered, she noticed the third person in the room with them, the ninja with the ponytail. There was a moment of stunned surprise where everyone needed to adjust to the new information, and then the three of them acted.

The ponytail ninja threw a punch, Haruka blocked and grabbed her around the wrist, pulled her forward to shield herself from the katana ninja, who hesitated just long enough for Haruka to rock her face with a right hook, follow up with a knee to the stomach, and send her flying into the wall with a roundhouse.

Haruka was met with a fist to her own cheek, but retaliated almost immediately with a counter. The ponytail ninja dodged her strike and shot out two jabs to Haruka's body. She used her elbow and knee to block the strikes, and shoved her shoulder forward, sending the ninja stumbling back.

The katana ninja recovered, held her blade steady and aimed a horizontal slash at Haruka's side. Haruka stepped back, just far enough for the blade to miss her, then kept the blade to the side by holding the flat edge. She used her free hand to sock the katana ninja in the nose, then turned to check the ponytail ninja's movements, and only narrowly ducked the punch aimed at her own head. Haruka let go of the katana, shoved the katana ninja back to give herself room, then grabbed the bedframe with both hands and yanked it back, sending it skidding along the floor and into the ponytail ninja, pinning her to the wall. She then jumped and spun in the air, turning back to the katana ninja and planting a kick directly into her chest.

Haruka rushed towards her, keeping up the offense, but paused when a high-pitched whistling caught her ear. She leaned to the side just in time to see a kunai fly past her face where the katana ninja deflected it with a swipe of her sword. Looking back, the ponytail ninja, still pinned to the wall, had produced a fistful of kunai.

Haruka ducked as the kunai ninja threw her knives and tossed out a wild swing to keep the katana ninja at bay. She was too busy deflecting the errant kunai flying her way to counter the attack properly. Haruka ducked forward, scrambling under a kunai, then jumped back to avoid one flying right past her face.

Very unsure of how long she could keep this up, Haruka tucked and rolled underneath the katana ninja's range and put her between herself and the kunai ninja. Not willing to impede her friend, the kunai ninja's assault let up for just a moment. As Haruka got to her feet she grabbed one of the kunais off of the ground while using her teeth to pull her sleeve over her other hand. When the katana ninja spun and slashed at Haruka, she blocked the strike with the kunai, supporting the knife by pushing on the blade with her covered hand. The two clashed for a moment, before the katana ninja broke away and darted in for a new flurry of strikes. Haruka parried as best she could with the kunai, sneaking in jabs with her free hand when she could.

The katana ninja went for a strong, overhead swing of her sword. Haruka was able to block the strike with her kunai but was quickly losing ground with her lack of leverage. As the two of them clashed, gave a brief look into each other's eyes, Haruka surprised the ninja when her head suddenly shot forward, slamming into her nose. The ninja stumbled back, and Haruka pressed the advantage with a clothesline to the face. As she struck, Haruka dropped onto her ass, dragging the ninja's head down and slamming it into the hard tile floor.

The ninja shook her head clear, gave Haruka one final look, then flipped out of the room with a backwards handspring. Haruka made to follow, but her path was blocked when the kunai ninja slid into the doorframe, a dozen kunai gripped in her hands.

Haruka flipped her own kunai in her grip, slipping the metal ring at the end around her index finger. The kunai ninja had just finished preparing to move when Haruka hit her with a lightning fast punch, the metal ring striking her right between the eyes. The kunai ninja's gaze drifted towards the ceiling, and she fell backwards, collapsing on the ground spread eagle.

Haruka leapt over the body and looked down both ends of the hallway. The katana ninja had disappeared.

Haruka turned away from the entrance and sprinted down the rest of the hallway's length. What she hadn't seen before was that at the end of the hallway, it actually turned sharply right, and looking down this new expanse she was greeted with an absolute labyrinth of doors and pathways.

With no time to lose, Haruka darted down the hallway and dove into the labyrinth. At the moment, her plan was to run straight forward, hope to get lucky, and only start exploring if absolutely necessary. After a few intersections, the hallway widened itself out into a larger, plaza-like circular area.

Haruka hadn't planned to stop at this intersection, but as soon as she reached the center of the circle, two figures dropped from the ceiling and blocked both exits. Both of them were dressed in the same ninja uniform as the previous two. The one in front had her black hair pulled into two short, upward-facing twintails and gripped a wooden staff in both hands. The other had bleached blonde hair in a fringe that covered one eye and was swinging a chain-sickle at her side.

Haruka sighed. Then she pushed off the ground and sprinted at the chain-sickle ninja. The ninja released her chain-sickle, sending it flying forward, and Haruka ducked and scrambled along all fours to avoid it without losing momentum. As soon as she was within distance, Haruka jumped, leaving the ground to send the ninja sprawling with a dropkick.

The staff ninja approached now, slapping Haruka on the side of her head with a quick strike. Haruka blocked the next strike, then flinched back when the ninja flipped the staff and hit her with a quick follow up on the opposite side.

Haruka stepped back, shaking her head to clear it. When the staff ninja went for a wide, overhead swing, she thrust both arms up, took the swat, and grabbed the end of the staff. The staff ninja pushed forward, jabbing Haruka in the forehead. Haruka shoved back, jabbing the ninja in the stomach. The ninja shoved forward again, and Haruka stepped to the side and pulled the staff, jabbing the end into the head of the chain-sickle ninja approaching from behind. She staggered back and the staff ninja had just enough time to look apologetic before Haruka moved in.

Haruka and the staff ninja were now both clutching the staff around it's center. Both of them attempted to twist the staff to strike the other. Haruka took it in the knee while the ninja was hit upside her head. The two struggled to get proper leverage on the staff, then went for an opposite strike, mirroring the first.

Haruka could hear the chain-sickle ninja preparing to attack again, she had no more time to tug-of-war. She drew back her head and slammed it into the staff ninja's, then slammed her foot into her gut and pushed her off. Her grip on the staff slipped loose and she fell to the ground.

Haruka had just enough time to spin around hold her staff upright as the chain-sickle ninja threw her weapon. The chain-sickle latched around the staff and wound itself tight on moment. Haruka jerked the staff towards her, pulling the ninja in, swatted her with an overhead swing, then planted the staff into the ground and pushed herself up into an airborne kick right in the chain-sickle ninja's chest.

The ninja hit the ground, tumbled, and then rolled back onto her feet. Haruka paused when she noticed the chain-sickle was still in her hand. Checking her staff, though, there was a chain-sickle still wrapped tightly around it. While keeping eye contact, the chain-sickle ninja snuck a hand into a crease in her uniform and pulled out a second, or rather third, chain-sickle. The other ninja, on her feet again, circled around to stand by her fellow ninja and performed a similar action, instead pulling out a pair of nunjucks.

Haruka cracked her neck and tucked the staff under her arm.

Both of the ninjas darted forward, spinning their weapons. Haruka began to twirl the staff in kind. The chain-sickle ninja whipped both blades forward, Haruka used the momentum of her staff to batt both attacks away. The nunchuck ninja passed the nunchuck under her arm and swung it forward, flipping it up towards Haruka's chin. She leaned back, out of the way, and when the ninja swung the nunchuck back down, Haruka used the momentum in her staff to swat the stick to the side, spun the staff around her back, and immediately struck with a follow up swing to the side of the ninja's head.

Haruka planted the staff into the ground and jumped, flipping backwards to avoid the chain-sickle ninja's attempt to swipe at her legs. The toe of her shoe slammed into the top of the chain-sickle ninja's head, sending her staggering back.

When Haruka landed she immediately swung her staff wide, slamming into both of the ninjas' heads one after another. Following into the spin, Haruka ducked down and swung the staff low, knocking into both of the ninjas' legs and sending them tumbling to the ground. She got up, ran forward, and swung the staff down into the chain-sickle ninja's gut as hard as she could. Wood splintered, the staff cracked in half, and the ninja curled up on her side in pain before collapsing face down.

The nunchuck ninja leapt back up to her feet. She began to spin her nunchuck again, passing them under either arm, then shot forward and made a wide swipe. Haruka reached out and caught one of the sticks in her hand. The impact stung her palm, but she moved through it. She jerked the stick back, dragging the ninja forward, then reversed momentum and slammed her fist into the nunchuck ninja's face, sending her to the ground too.

Haruka shook off the pain and ran on. The end of the hall was approaching her now, Haruka began desperately searching for a door that looked more important than the others. Something that might have something other than a bed behind it.

No such luck, Haruka hit the wall where the hallway branched out in a T. Rows of identical doors lined these pathways as well. Haruka was out of ideas at this point so she just began flinging them open. The door sitting squarely in the middle of the intersection was… dark and empty and only had a bed in it. So was the one next to it. And the one across from that. Empty. Empty. Empty.

Not empty. This room was as dark and small as the rest, but this time the bed was occupied. A naked man, covered by the sheets at least, laying on and thrusting into something underneath him. Haruka began backing up, about to close the door behind her, when she felt a thin strip of steel on the back of her neck.

Haruka gave it a moment, just a second for the person behind her to act, then ducked. A blade swished over her head and she spun on the ground to face her attacker where she saw, as she expected, the katana ninja. Haruka jumped as much as she could and kicked off of the ninja's gut, less attempting to hit the opponent and more looking to push herself off and create some distance. She slid through the door, lying on her back.

The man gave a startled yelp as he collapsed off the bed and fell to the ground next to it. He gave another one when he looked back up where on the bed was now standing another woman in a ninja uniform. Her lengthy black hair was tucked into her scarf and covered both of her eyes. In either hand was a sai, the central prongs poking up between the middle and ring fingers.

The sai ninja dove from the bed to pounce on top of Haruka's prostrate body. Haruka shoved both feet into the air and caught the ninja in the gut. She hit with a wheeze, though otherwise had a completely immutable expression, and just as quickly stabbed forward with one hand. Haruka had to twist her neck out of the way to avoid the sai, and watched as the prong struck and dug into the linoleum tile underneath her. The sai ninja yanked the weapon back up out and then stabbed with her opposite hand, forcing Haruka to twist her head away again.

The sai ninja decided to aim lower now, so Haruka had no more time to dodge. She pushed with her legs as hard as she could, and threw the sai ninja forward, out through the door and into the katana ninja.

The naked guy also took this opportunity to run out of the room, thankfully keeping the sheets wrapped around his midsection.

Haruka got to her feet and charged out of the room towards both ninjas as they recovered. When she got close enough, she jumped into the air, slamming her knee against the katana ninja's head and driving it into the wall.

The katana ninja staggered back, and Haruka moved in on the sai ninja with two jabs to the head. The ninja caught her bearings and slipped around the strikes. In a single fluid motion, she spun the sais in her hand to grip them by the pommels, then stabbed with her forward arm. Haruka juked to the side, letting the blades sail past her ear. She countered with a flat palm to the ninja's chin, who recoiled but recovered in an instant and stabbed forward again. Haruka weaved to the side, then jumped back to get away as the ninja threw out a follow up.

A flash of silver caught in the corner of Haruka's eye. She grabbed the sai ninja's arm and pulled, forcing her to catch the katana ninja's katana between the sai's prongs. Both ninjas stopped and blinked at such a maneuver. Haruka didn't want to give them the time to react. She spun the sai ninja's arm, wrestling the katana from the katana ninja's grip and sending it flying into the wall where it stuck.

Haruka shoved the sai ninja back and gave the katana ninja an elbow to the head to make room. The sai ninja slashed with her right in a wide arc. Haruka dropped, ducking under the slash and immediately countering with an uppercut to the chin followed up with an overhead to the dome. She spun on the balls of her feet and pushed off, landing a lunging punch on the katana ninja.

Lost without her sword, the katana ninja didn't have much in the way of reprisal. Haruka stepped forward, grabbed her by the ears and drew her head in for a headbutt, pulled it down into her knee, then sent her spinning with a raw haymaker to her cheek. As she spun, Haruka took a running start, jumped, pushed off the wall for extra height, and slammed into her cheek with a flying roundhouse, kept spinning, and slammed the sole of her other shoe into the ninja's chin. The ninja was knocked off her feet, twirled mid-air, and then hit the ground.

Haruka wiped her mouth with her sleeve and turned, drawing the katana from the wall as she approached the sai ninja. Keeping her grip on the blade tight, Haruka swung the katana down from over her head. The sai ninja brought both her sais up, catching the katana between the prongs and then locking it into place as the sais came together. Haruka moved forward, undaunted, flipping and twisting the katana around through the prongs and, now holding it in a reverse grip, swung the blade pommel first out of the sais' trap and whacking the sai ninja in the temple.

The sai ninja flinched back, her arms falling away, and the katana slipped through the cracks and fell towards the floor. Haruka ducked low, catching it as it fell, and spun, bringing it back up and slamming the pommel into the sai ninja's forehead.

Taking one last step forward, Haruka wrenched the sais out from the sai ninja's grasp and, spinning the blades in her hands, brought down both pommels on either side of the ninja's head at the same time.

Her head swiveled a few times, and then the sai ninja collapsed onto the ground.

Haruka ran on, checking doors sporadically and at a broad clip. She wandered deeper into the labyrinth, no longer keeping straight at all intersections but moving through turns and corners going off little other than her gut feeling. Desperation began bubbling in her gut, as she began to check behind more and more doors, each one hiding a small amount of nothing.

And before Haruka knew it, she was in the situation she feared most: a dead end. She ran forward, immediately wanting to check the door on the far end, but her hand hadn't even touched the knob, when a half dozen doors slammed open behind her. Haruka spun on her heels, and was greeted with the five ninjas, on their feet again and all together now, each one still brandishing their weapons and looking more pissed than ever.

She noticed, with the barest amount of satisfaction, that along what skin she could see were visible bruises and welts. They were still human. They could be beat. Haruka took a couple of deep breaths, stealing her nerves, then slowly clenched her fists and took her stance.

The door behind her creaked open. She heard a tired yawn, and then a deep, masculine voice.

"Huh? Haruka?"

She looked over her shoulder.

"Taro!"

"What in the-" Taro only then noticed the five ninjas poised to strike in the hallway. "Wha- Guys, it's fine. She's a friend."

The ninjas took a moment to evaluate the statement. Then, one by one, they sheathed their weapons. The five of them gave a synchronized bow and ducked back into the rooms they had appeared from.

Haruka blinked. She wanted to give them a moment to burst out again and try and kill her again, but for as long as she waited, the hallway was still and silent.

She turned back to face Taro. He definitely looked like he'd just gotten up. His curly hair was even messier than usual. He had a light stubble around his chin and was only wearing a white shirt and a pair of blue-striped boxers. But regardless, it was unmistakably him.

She'd finally tracked down Taro Kitamura.


	13. Side Story: Near Encounters

Haruka looked up to face Taro, every second spent reaffirming that she'd finally managed to find him. There was a lot she wanted to ask him, wanted to tell him, wanted to confer with him and mark out a plan of defense against the Tojo Clan, but with how out of breath she was, he managed to get the first word.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"I- What?"

"Well, it's just," Taro scratched the back of his neck. "I feel like we're about to have a really serious conversation here. It'd help if we could talk over beers or something, but you know, I can't go out and get any. I haven't really had a drink in the past couple days, it's been rough believe you me. Help a guy out? I'll spot you the cash for it."

"Uh, okay," Haruka said before actually considering what was being asked.

"Cool." He ducked back into his room and came back out a second later with a clump of cash in his fist. "I'll be right here when you get back."

Haruka accepted the money. Then the door shut in her face and Taro was gone again. She sighed.

Finding her way out of the brothel wasn't all that hard, there were ninjas stationed at every turn she had to take, watching her with an unnecessary level of scrutiny. Still, she made sure to try and remember where she was going, just in case they didn't feel the need to help her on the way back.

Fortunately, there was a 24-hour Poppo just around the corner. Haruka just hoped this wouldn't take too long.

Out the front door and up the stairs, Haruka found herself back on Taihei Boulevard. It was still late, or rather, early. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the early risers would be out and about soon. Facing her was Theater Alley. With as dark as things were, the alleyway was even darker, but Haruka could still make out a hint of movement.

A figure, a person, was running directly towards her.

Haruka struck a fighting stance and got ready to intercept the attacker.

"Run!" the man yelled as he burst from the shadows. "You've got to get out of here! Run, miss!"

"Don't come any closer," Haruka yelled back.

"Run! Leave, before they get you!"

"Before who gets me?"

"The aliens!"

Haruka's arms dropped.

"What?"

"Aliens! Extra-terrestrials! Little green men! They've been abducting people from this very alleyway! You've got to get out of here before they grab you!"

The man was gesticulating wildly as he spoke. His hair was a shocking white and wiry and had just almost finished retreating across his head. He wore a sporty, burgundy suit vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off a shiny gold watch on his wrist, with black pants and shoes. He had a wild look in his eyes, and deep, dark bags under them.

"Alright, how about you calm down. Are you drunk?"

"Drunk? I haven't been able to drink a drop these past few days. Not with the constant fear wracking my brain."

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this, but aliens don't exist."

"They're real! I know they are! I saw them with my own two eyes!"

"Are you sure you didn't just mistake what you saw?"

"How could I? They abducted me! I was there!"

"Alright," Haruka said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm kind of busy right now, so I'm going to leave you to… yell at people about aliens on your own."

"That's fine. That's perfect, actually. Just be careful. And- And don't come anywhere near this alley again until sunrise!"

"Will do," she lied. Better to just end this interaction and not have to worry about the guy anymore than try and convince him of the reasonable.

The loony went out of sight out of mind as Haruka turned the corner. The convenience store was, conveniently, only a block to the south so to call it a walk would be an overstatement. The kid working the counter was bleary-eyed and looked only half-awake. He didn't even look down to see what he was scanning when Haruka put the 6-pack on the counter, he didn't ask for ID, he didn't offer Haruka a bag, Haruka was pretty sure he only looked over the bills given to him for their denomination, if even that.

But Haruka was mostly just happy to get this over with quick. And given what time it was, the kid's behavior perfectly understandable really, Haruka was starting to get drowsy herself.

She took her 6-pack and receipt and went back out. The thought crossed her mind that, had the cashier not been so out of it, she might've had to worry about what she'd look like buying beer this late at night.

The Taihei Boulevard intersection gave Haruka a second of pause. Instead of stepping out fully, Haruka peeked around the corner. She was hoping the loony would've moved on to harass people somewhere else.

He hadn't. At the moment he was sitting on a nearby plastic crate with his cheeks in his hands.

"Am I just losing my mind?" he muttered to himself.

Haruka almost felt bad for him. He was clearly going through something really rough right now, the stress must be making him see things. A part of her wanted to help him, but there was nothing she could really do, not for that kind of problem.

Haruka furrowed her brows. At the end of the street, poking its head out of the alley, she could just barely make out another figure. They had a weird, hunched stance, and Haruka could swear it was just a trick of the light, but their head looked massive, twice as big as any person's. The figure stepped forward, creeping towards the man silently, and as it passed by a streetlight, Haruka caught a glimmer of its giant, obsidian eyes.

"H- Hey!" Haruka yelled, dropping her beers as she ran onto the street. "Get away from him!"

The man jumped to his feet and began looking around wildly. The figure behind him darted back into the dark alleyway. Haruka chased after it, popping out into Theater Square moments later.

Whatever it was, it had disappeared. Theater Square kept a small amount of bustle this late at night, a couple of roaming drunkards, a couple of wandering night owls, a few parked cars and a van, but nothing resembling the figure she had seen.

Haruka moved back towards Taihei Boulevard, keeping her eyes peeled in the dark but not seeing anything hiding out in the alleyway either.

"What happened?" the man asked when she exited back onto Taihei Boulevard. "You saw them too, didn't you?"

"For right now let's keep it at I'm inclined to believe you. So, I'm inclined to believe you, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Uh, okay." He ran a few fingers over his scalp. "But you do need to get out of here fast. Who knows when they'll be back."

"Then talk fast."

"Right, right, uh… I'm Bobby Yamaguchi. I'm an accountant for a law firm downtown."

"Alright… Bobby – Haruka Sawamura."

"It all started three nights ago. I was out late drinking, a- and wandered through this alley to try and find a taxi to get me home. Suddenly, a green man appeared before my eyes, with big black bug eyes and a huge cranium. I thought I was seeing things at first, but then I felt a pinch in the back of my neck and I blacked out. When I woke up, there were three of them hovering over me in a blindingly white room. It must've been on their spaceship. I- I tried to fight them off, but my arms and legs were both tied down. I think, thinking about it, I think I was strapped down to a gurney for experimentation. I was so scared, I thought I could hear my heart beating in my head, but it took me a minute to realize that it was just my watch."

"Your watch?"

"Yes, my hands were stretched out, like this." He raised his hands over his head to demonstrate. Haruka noted that the watch was close by to his ear.

"One of the aliens reached down towards my face, and then I passed out again from fear. I woke up back in Theater Square in nothing but my underwear, it had been an hour since I'd been abducted. That day, I wondered if I had just gotten blackout drunk and had a scary dream."

"So that watch there," Haruka asked.

"That's a different watch. I have more than one watch. Though I am slowly running out."

"This happened more than once?"

"Well, that's the thing. The next night I went back to the same place at the same time, dry as a bone this time, and the exact same thing happened again! The same pinch, the same white room, the same waking up in my underwear. I realized then that the aliens were real, and they were really abducting people. I came back to this alley on the third night to warn people away, and it worked. When the time came, I was abducted again. They always come at the same time, so I have to be here every night so that no one else gets taken. And- And speaking of which, they should be back any moment now, you really need to leave!"

Haruka gave it some thought.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to do that, actually."

She turned and ran down the brothel's stairs. But, before she hit the bottom, she spun and flopped onto her stomach, staying low enough that just her eyes poked over the edge. Haruka had a hunch, a hunch supported by something weird in Bobby's explanation. She needed to see this 'abduction' for herself.

Minutes passed before anything happened. Bobby circled the area, switching between frantic pacing and nervous ticking while sitting on the crate. Eventually, however, when Bobby's back was turned away from the alley, one of the aliens snuck out again and crept up behind him.

It was exactly as Bobby had described them, they looked like something out of a Hollywood movie. Completely naked with no naughty bits and entirely green skin. Other than that, its body looked human, but its head was weirdly almond shaped, and twice as big as a normal human head, with great big black bug eyes.

The alien crept up behind Bobby, Bobby giving no indication that he heard its approach. Haruka watched tentatively.

The alien came to a stop just behind Bobby, gave the street one last scan to make sure they were alone, then reached to the ground at its side, picked up a long piece of pipe, and swung it at the back of Bobby's head.

Bobby immediately crumpled to the ground, leaving Haruka incredulous that he interpreted that whack to his noggin as a 'pinch'. Two more identical aliens ran out and each grabbed one of Bobby's legs, while the third grabbed him under his arms. Together, the three of them carried Bobby back into the alley and out into Theater Square.

Haruka hopped up from her hidden position and gave chase. When she burst out into Theater Square though, nothing had really changed. There were no aliens, no knocked out men with strange names, and no panic from anyone at seeing a real-life alien abduction.

There was also no van.

Some spaceship, huh. What kind of alien abductors used lead pipes and Hondas?

The van was long gone by now, but Haruka didn't need to follow it exactly, just find where it went. With such a blunt method of putting Bobby to sleep they wouldn't go far. She scanned over every street in Kamurocho and eventually managed to spot the same van parked outside an office building on Senryo Avenue.

Haruka was peeking into every window she could find as she climbed up the office building. She didn't strike gold, however, until she reached the fourth. She looked through the window as best she could with the blinds pulled down, and saw a completely empty room with white painted walls and white tiled floors. Well, almost completely empty. There was a small cot situation in the middle, and on it, Bobby had his arms and legs to the cot's legs with belts.

Bobby was facing away from the door and window, still out from the looks of things, and facing him were the three aliens. One of them was stretching out his back, one was leaning against a wall, and one was making sure the belts on Bobby's limbs were all tightened.

"Jesus," one of them said. Its mouth didn't move when it talked. "How many times are we going to grab this one guy?"

"He's rich, who cares?" answered another.

"You're going to end up giving the guy brain damage if we keep hitting him upside the head."

"I repeat: He's rich. Who cares?"

"He's going to run out of stuff eventually."

"Yeah, eventually. But if he's smart, he'll stop hanging around when that becomes a serious problem. Until then-"

"Hey." The one stretching his back suddenly stopped and motioned for the other two. "He's coming to, shut the fuck up and get over here."

The three of them adopted their hunched stances again and crowded around the foot of the bed. Bobby woke up with a sharp gasp.

"Wh- You bastards. Just leave us humans alone. No matter what you do I'll make sure, you'll never take another person up here, you – you bastards!"

The aliens didn't respond, they only silently stared into Bobby's eyes. One of them reached out towards his face.

Haruka had heard enough. With a kick she knocked the door open. The aliens all abandoned their ominous posing and jumped in shock.

Haruka didn't give them the time to retaliate. She ran into the room, vaulted over the cot, and slammed her heel into one of the alien's face. She spun and hit the second with a kick to the chest, but before he could hit the ground, she ducked behind him and shoved him into the third where the both of them flopped to the ground.

"S- Sawamura?" Bobby yelled in surprise. "What are you- How did you get onto a spaceship?"

"You're not on a spaceship, Bobby. This is an office building."

"What? But, the aliens-"

Haruka knelt by one of the aliens on the floor. She grabbed it by the head, the plush foam crumpling beneath her fingers. She pulled the head off to reveal a punk kid in a green bodysuit underneath.

"These aliens?"

Bobby was left speechless. Haruka got to work undoing the belts around his arms and legs.

"But," Bobby eventually stammered out. "How did you know?"

"Because aliens don't exist, Bobby. I told you that." She helped Bobby to his feet after getting him free. "But, aside from that, something about what you told me struck me as odd. You said you were still wearing your watch when they 'experimented' on you, but then woke up without your clothes. You'd think they'd undress you before doing the experiment. Aliens wouldn't have any use for your clothes, but people would, especially a fancy watch like the ones you wear."

"Huh," Bobby mused. "I never thought about that."

"If they just stole it, you'd go to the police, but if they tricked you into thinking you'd been abducted by aliens – "

"I'd run around Kamurocho yelling like a crazy person. My God…"

"You bitch!" One of the aliens had gotten back to his feet and charged wildly at Haruka. Without turning, she slammed his forehead with an elbow that sent him back to the ground.

"You three," Haruka said as she turned to face them. "What kind of hair-brained, idiotic scheme was this?"

The two aliens who weren't dealing with a concussion looked at each other.

"C'mon man," one said. "It wasn't that bad an idea. At the very least we got to reuse our Halloween costumes."

"Look." They flinched back as Haruka took a step forward. "I know your van and I know your office now. If I catch wind of this kind of thing happening again, I'll be sure to pay you another visit. Got it?"

"Y-Yes!" They scrambled to their knees and slammed their heads against the ground. "Absolute. Never again. S- Scout's honor."

Haruka sighed. "Good enough."

A minute later, Haruka and Bobby were leaving out the building's front door.

"I can't thank you enough Sawamura," Bobby said. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be raving about extra-terrestrials and losing all my possessions once a night."

"Don't worry about it. But seriously, Bobby, some common sense can go a long way. I mean, alien invasions? It should've been obvious something was up."

"Yeah, yeah I guess so. Maybe I've just been watching too many movies. It was honestly kind of – exciting, getting abducting by aliens."

"Whatever. I'm late for something pretty important. Just try not to get abducted anymore, okay?"

"Yeah, I think I've had my fill of aliens for the time being. Right now, I just want to go home and get some sleep."

"I told you Bobby, aliens aren't real."

"Right. Of course. I mean, probably. I'm just saying, we don't know for sure, right?"

"Fine," Haruka grumbled. "You believe what you want. I'm leaving."

With that, the two parted ways. Haruka started hustling back towards Taihei Boulevard. She was so busy worrying about someone snatching up her 6-pack that she didn't notice the tiny cluster of flashing lights blitzing across the night sky.


	14. Chapter 10: A Long Night

Taro's room in the brothel was a little more furnished than the others. In addition to a small bed, he also had a wardrobe, a coffee table, and a couple of chairs. Haruka and Taro sat across from each other at the table. Taro was already cracking open his beer.

"What's that on your shirt?" he asked.

"Huh?" Haruka pulled her jacket down a little to look. "It's, uh, fish sailors."

"Oh." Taro took his first sip. "That's adorable."

"Yeah, I- Wait. Taro, please, what's going on here?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I have no idea how much you know or why you needed to track me down all the way here or what you're even looking to do now that you've found me. Honestly, you tell me, what is going on here?"

Haruka sighed.

"The Tojo Clan is after you. They see you setting up a securities business in their backyard an act of aggression, so they're trying to muscle you out. You… knew this somehow…"

"Like you said, I work in securities. That means I have a decent combination of underworld connections and people with a vested interest in keeping me alive. It happens."

"…and went into hiding. But before doing that, you went to the Anytime Fitness on Shichifuku Street, where you met me, and we had a few sparring matches. The Tojo saw this, apparently, and now think that we have some kind of connection. They've been pressuring me to give up where you disappeared to, which I don't know. Or, I didn't know until now."

"That would about cover it, yes. Except why you then tried to find me anyways."

"Because I didn't know what happened to you. I didn't know if you were in actual trouble or if the Tojo would find you while I wasn't looking or if you were already dead. I was worried about you."

"Haruka, you don't know me."

"But I know the Tojo Clan. And I know what they do to people like you. I needed to make sure you were safe, and maybe together we can fight them back."

"Fight them back? Are you crazy? You want to take on the entire Clan, just us two by ourselves? I dug myself into this tiny hole to stay alive, my only plan was to lie low for a bit until they found something else to be mad at, then go on with life as normal. And, I mean, well, I appreciate the effort you went through to get here, but you're kind of compromising my shit right now."

Haruka's brow furrowed. "I thought you liked fighting."

"Yeah, for the sport of it, not for my life."

"What were you even doing at the gym anyways?"

Taro scratched his head. "Is this a trick question?"

"After we left, you came straight here. You already knew you the Tojo were after you then, why a pit stop at the Anytime Fitness?"

Taro shrugged, taking the moment to gulp down more of his beer.

"You see any equipment in here? I've got a couple months of calisthenics ahead of me, maybe I wanted at least one proper sesh before that."

"But you didn't use any equipment. We just sparred. If my welcome was anything to go by, you've got plenty of sparring partners here too."

Taro leaned forward and massaged his forehead. "I don't know. I don't know what you want from me. I don't know why I went to the gym, you know, daily cycles get stuck in your head, I just – went there on accident, I guess? Maybe I didn't want to spend my last couple hours as a free man hanging around the office."

"Taro, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Well I didn't, like, ask you to help me. I was doing perfectly fine but now you're here and I've got a whole new set of factors to worry about. Honestly this all makes my situation a little worse."

Haruka let out a long sigh, like a deflating balloon, and slowly sank deeper into her chair. Her head fell back until she was staring straight up at the ceiling.

"What am I doing, Taro?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

"Everyone told me not to stick my nose in any of this. They thought I was crazy for pushing this far to try and find you. They told me you'd probably be better off if I just left you alone and told the Tojo what I told them from the beginning, that I had no idea who you were or where you went."

"Well, that isn't, uh, terrible advice."

"I just thought things would change when I finally found you. I figured if anyone could get where I was coming from, who got why I needed to fight the Tojo Clan more than anything else, it would be you."

"Well," Taro scratched the back of his neck and looked around. "You don't really know me."

"No, I guess I don't."

"But I mean, at the same time, you were the only one who actually cared enough to try and see where I'd gone."

Haruka sat back up to look at Taro.

"I don't, uh, really have any friends or family in the city. No one's really missing me, I'm sure the people at the office are more glad than anything to have me gone. You actually cared enough to make sure I was alright, even though we only met the once. That actually means a lot to me, despite everything else."

Haruka nodded slowly, her gaze going distant again.

"Hey," she eventually said. "Do you have a phone down here?"

"I got a burner."

Haruka dug an old receipt out of her pocket and started writing her number on it. "Give me a call if you're ever in trouble. Maybe it was a mistake to come down here, but I'm in this now and I've got your back."

"Yeah, sure."

"I think I'm going to head home now." She rubbed at her eye. "It's been a long night."

"Alright." Taro waved her off. "Stay safe. Thanks again for caring."

He leaned back in his chair and polished off the last of his beer as she stood up and walked out.

Haruka was barely paying attention as she made her way out of the brothel and around the Millennium Tower and back towards Bohemia.

Taro seemed a little less than she expected. He had made such an impression when inviting her to spar, he had that charismatic spark of passion, almost the same as Kiryu whenever he found something to set his mind to. And then she'd been so caught up the mystery of it all, getting this far, she hadn't really stopped to think about what would happen if this kind of thing happened. If she got all the way to Taro only to find nothing, then – Well, it was probably Haruka's fault for expecting so much.

Haruka glanced up, still stuck in her thoughts, and spotted something odd. Several of the city lights she had long since grown accustomed to seeing in the distance were out. No, they weren't out, something was blocking them. A cloud of black hovering in the air, its edges lapping at the light around it.

As she moved closer, she began to notice more. The cloud was lit from underneath, a dull orange glow flickered along the walls just below it. She coughed as she got closer, breathing in a sharp, dry scent. Haruka's eyes began to widen as she realized what she was looking at.

The Champion District was on fire.

Haruka broke out into a sprint and bolted forward. Several people were already huddled around the district's exits, many of them with faces and suits covered in ash. She shoved through the crowd as quickly as possible and entered the district proper.

The fire clung to the huddled buildings, leaving the pathways accessible but just barely. The heat was smothering Haruka, and she felt like she could barely breath through all the smoke. She took a corner and saw Bohemia, Natsuko standing just out front. She was wearing a jacket over her otherwise normal bartender dress, ineffectually tossing a splash of water from a tin bucket at the inferno.

"Natsuko!" Haruka called out.

She turned to face the voice. Haruka could see, even from this distance, Natsuko's face crumpling under the fear and anguish she was feeling, mixed with a new bought of confusion upon seeing Haruka.

"Natsuko, we've got to get out of here come on!"

Haruka ran forward and grabbed Natsuko by the wrist, not losing any momentum as she continued running forward. Natsuko dug in her heels and dragged her to a stop.

Haruka didn't question it. She didn't have time. She moved back, grabbed Natsuko around the midsection, and hauled her onto her shoulder, then turned and ran.

Natsuko pounded against her back, only through sheer adrenaline to Haruka keep from buckling under her.

"Put me down!" she yelled. "I have to- My bar-"

Haruka didn't respond, she just turned the corner and moved as quickly as she could towards the exit.

"Sawamura!" A deep, brass voice made itself heard from behind her.

Haruka skid to a stop and turned back. Standing in the middle of the blaze, his navy suit looking pitch black under the orange light of the fire, the skunk stripe still standing out against his slick, black hair, was Sho Aikawa.

It began to dawn on Haruka what exactly was happening here.

"You did this!" Haruka yelled at him.

"I'll do much fucking worse if you don't start talking," he called back. "Where's Kitamura?"

Haruka placed Natsuko back on the ground and turned to face her.

"Go," she breathed. Natsuko didn't move. "Run!"

Natsuko's eyes shifted between Haruka and Aikawa, then she spun on her heels and ran towards the district's exit.

Haruka was breathing heavily. The air was beginning to feel thin, but the anger bubbling inside her overrode the need for breath. She ripped her jacket off with a quick yank and threw it to the side, her ponytail twisting and writhing down to the small of her back, like a dragon in flight.

Aikawa gave a small, half-cocked smile, then tore off his own shirt and jacket. On his back was the image of a tiger and dragon. Each's fangs dug into the other, locking them together in combat as they endlessly circled.

Haruka screamed violently as she charged towards him. He grinned wider and cocked a fist back, just waiting for her. As soon as Haruka was in range it launched, slamming into her forehead. Haruka's vision went black but she refused to flinch to the hit and swung a wild haymaker at Aikawa's head anyways, feeling the crumple of flesh as her fist connected with his face.

Vision was slowly fading back in, but Haruka didn't stop. She sent several underhanded swings towards his gut. The first whiffed but as soon as she found him again she became relentless. She could hear Aikawa wheezing underneath her punches, but he quickly regained his composure and retaliated. Just as soon as Haruka could see his face clearly, her cheek was rocked with a hook and her vision went dark again. Another hit on the opposite side, then another, then another, and finally the last one sent her off her feet. She rolled back a dozen feet before slowing to a stop, face up on her back.

Haruka laid there, breathing heavily. Lights danced in the distance. Her throat hurt. Her lungs hurt. Her body hurt. Everything hurt. The bright orange came a little closer. A dark blob appeared in the middle of it, moving up to meet Haruka. She could just make out the outline of a shoe hovering above her face.

Haruka rolled away and flipped to her knees as Aikawa stomped the ground where she had just been. She quickly shook the vision back into her head and was back in. Aikawa moved forward, giving her no room to recover, and launched a jumping roundhouse at her head. Haruka's arms both went up, blocking and stopping the hit. She countered by punching his knee and then his chest as he landed, then pushed him back with more gut punches. He swung another hook at her head. She ducked this one, grabbed him around the midsection, lifted, and slammed him into the ground.

She moved down with him, straddling his chest and pinning his arms with her knees, laying into his face with punch after punch, each one blowing Aikawa's head to the side and sending a spray of spittle and blood onto the street.

Then Aikawa's body twisted with more force than Haruka was prepared for. She was knocked to the side and in an instant, Aikawa had taken her place, now straddling her and laying into her face with blows.

Haruka tried to twist like Aikawa had, knock him to the ground and get back on top, but he was fierce and immovable, not letting up for a second. Haruka could barely breath between hits, each one knocking out what little wind she could keep in her lungs.

Aikawa hit her with another right hook and Haruka moved, reaching her head forward as the punch followed through past her and clamped her teeth down around his wrist. She tasted blood but had no idea if it was his or hers. Aikawa flinched back, clutching his arm, and it was just the distraction Haruka needed to wrench her hand out from under his knee and knock him to the side with a punch.

She came up to her knees and saw Aikawa doing the same, already throwing out another punch. It rocked Haruka's face and she instantly threw a counter that Aikawa dodged and countered with what part of an uppercut he could manage into Haruka's chin and followed up with a lunge that Haruka twisted her whole body to avoid and moved into and wrapped an arm around Aikawa and they both fell to the ground again.

Haruka was underneath Aikawa, trying desperately to choke him out with the arm pulled tight against his windpipe. Aikawa didn't make it easy, struggling on top of her and launching elbows into her gut and kicks into her shin. Haruka winced but didn't let up.

Slowly, however, he began pulling up. First, he sat up against Haruka's pulling, then he got to one knee, then he pulled himself up to his full height. Haruka's feet left the ground and she lost all her leverage, now only dangling off of Aikawa's neck, using her weight to keep the pressure up.

Then Aikawa fell back.

Haruka was crushed between Aikawa's body and the cement ground underneath her. It felt like her entire body cracked in half under the impact. She pushed her muscles to move but got nothing in response.

Aikawa, however, stood back up.

He reached down towards Haruka, wrapped a palm around her face and lifted her up off the ground. Haruka thought, for just a moment, that he would keep going until she was off of her feet, but he didn't. Just after the seat of her pants left the ground, he thrust his arm back down and slammed the back of her head into the concrete.

It took all of Haruka's willpower not to get lost to the darkness. She found a point of pain, split skin in the back of her skull pushing against a small pebble, and focused in on it. As soon as that pain faded away she would be out, so she let it surge into her and force her blood to keep pumping, her brain to start taking in sights and sounds.

Next came her muscles, which were far less cooperative. She rolled onto her side, tried to push herself back up onto her knees but her arms buckled and collapsed before making it anywhere.

Aikawa gave her stomach a small kick, rolling her back onto her back. Haruka wheezed, she could barely breath.

"Kuroda was convinced of you, you know." Aikawa said. "He wasn't just ready to welcome you with open arms, he was ready to give you your own Family from the get go."

Haruka couldn't even lift her head anymore. She was stuck staring into the black sky.

"You ask me though, I think Kuroda's full of shit."

At the very least, she managed to loll her head to the side and see him pace around the burning street as he talked.

"You may be Kiryu's kid, but you ain't a fucking yakuza. A yakuza always gets up no matter how bad he's been knocked down. A yakuza wouldn't be lying down there like a little bitch after taking a few punches."

To accentuate his point, he stomped on Haruka's stomach. She barely had the energy to flinch anymore.

"You think you're hot shit just cause you kicked around some of Minami's boys? Huh? Bet this is a fucking first for you though, isn't it? Being down and out, ain't nothing you can do but sit there and take it, cause your daddy sure as hell ain't here to bail you out now. And maybe, if you can't fight his battles you should stop using his fucking name, right?"

The one thing Haruka absolutely refused to do at this moment was cry, but the tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. She had no idea whether they were from the words, the pain, or the smoke in the air.

"You know what makes us yakuza? We come up from nothing, so we can become something. Gutter trash pulled off the street, given a nice suit and a fucking job and a chance to beat on all the motherfuckers who did us dirty. You don't know about any of that though, your daddy was Kazuma fucking Kiryu, so you could get whatever the fuck you wanted whenever the fuck you wanted. You probably thought you were fucking invincible, didn't you? You thought you could fuck with us, and that your daddy would smooth it all over from beyond the fucking grave, huh?"

Haruka's ear twitched. She thought she'd heard something.

"I got soldiers who take beatings like this once a week. They get them cause they're screw ups but they take them cause they're men. You ain't a yakuza, you ain't even a man. All you are is a worthless, spoiled, half-cocked piece of-"

Aikawa stopped. He heard it too now. The sound of approaching sirens.

"Shit."

Aikawa walked back, knelt down and reached into his jacket. When he turned back to face Haruka it was with a pistol pointed at her face.

"Now you're going to tell me where the fuck Kitamura is, or I put a bullet in your skull and let the fire handle the rest."

Haruka didn't have the air or energy to respond to him, least of all the desire.

"Fucking whatever," he huffed to himself. "Bitch has it coming."

Beyond the crackle of fire and the distant sirens, Haruka heard something else along the ground. She didn't believe it at first, she didn't want to believe it, it was probably the very last thing she wanted to hear at this moment.

Heels clacked along the pavement, running up to them fast. Natsuko appeared from behind a corner, grabbed a nearby flowerpot and smashed it into the back of Aikawa's head.

"Son of a-" Aikawa staggered forward and looked back to see this newcomer.

Natsuko's face was a picture of pure anger that didn't buckle in the slightest under Aikawa's glare. He moved his pistol to her, then back to Haruka, then back to Natsuko. He looked between them, brow furrowing more and more. The sirens were getting closer.

"Fuck!" he yelled. "If you think this is over Sawamura, you're out of your goddamn mind. This was just the declaration of war. You missed your chance for a quick and painless death, now if you don't want to die slow and painful you better think about what the fuck you're doing here."

He ran off, disappeared around a corner, and was gone.

Natsuko walked over and wordlessly pulled Haruka to her feet. Her legs shook, but she at least had the strength to stay up now.

"Thanks."

Natsuko slapped her across the face. Darkness inched around the edges of her vision before quickly retreating. Haruka lightly rubbed her cheek in confusion.

Looking back, Natsuko's expression hadn't softened an inch since Aikawa left.

"You're fired."

That hurt more than the slap.

"Wh- What?"

"You," she repeated between grit teeth. "Are fired. And evicted. Just- Just get out of my sight."

"Natsuko, I-"

"Now!"

Haruka looked at her, took in the rage and pain across her face, then slowly looked to her shoes and nodded.

"Alright," she muttered. Haruka turned away from Natsuko and limped out of the Champion District just as the fire truck pulled up next to it.


	15. Chapter 11: Rock Bottom

The sun had begun to peak over the shorter buildings scattered around Tokyo. The inhabitants of the night in Kamurocho, spurned by the purifying rays of daylight, scurried off to their dens to sleep, awaiting nightfall once again, while its diurnal inhabitants began to walk the streets, moving to put a start to their day.

Haruka Sawamura was sitting at the bar in Purgatory, downing her ninth shot of fruit flavored vodka.

"Another one," she muttered.

Purgatory was pretty empty at this hour. Only one worker was left manning the bar, a few janitors were cleaning up the blood from the now uncaged fight platform, and the only patrons left were Haruka and a geriatric old man who'd passed out on the blackjack table. Haruka had snagged another brick of yen from his jacket pocket to pay for booze.

"You know," the bartender said. "This isn't really the place for sad drinking."

He served her another orange-colored shot, she stared into it while she responded.

"I don't really know any other bars in the city."

"Did you try literally any building in the Champion District."

She sighed. "The Champion District isn't open to the public right now."

"Oh."

Haruka downed her drink. "Yeah, there was a-" It hit. "A fire or something."

"What about – Bantham? New Serena?"

She sighed deeper. "I'd rather not. I've got – history at those places."

The bartender massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Another one," Haruka muttered.

The bartender didn't get a chance to start before the door to Takeshi's office was violently kicked open. He had to dash over and catch it before it smashed into the bottles behind it.

"-now if you don't get the fuck out my face I'm a have to show you to the ground floor the fast way fucking feel me? Had enough of this shit, y'all ain't going to tell me shit a'ight, not after that bitch from earlier- You!"

Takeshi had just noticed Haruka at the bar and his eyes went wide.

"Oh-hoh-ho! The bitch comes back, huh? Y'all must got balls of fucking steel showing up in my shit again what with the shit you pulled, must have a fucking death wish and ya' boy's in just the mood to fulfill that wish tell you fucking what, I am 'bout to beat" Haruka shot him a look "well you know, we're all reasonable adults here and ya' boy Takeshi's always willing to strike a deal where there's a deal to be made, always looking to do business don't want to burn any bridges, I'm sure we can work something out."

The bartender finally presented Haruka with her next drink. "I didn't tell him, Takeshi."

"Whas'at?"

"I didn't tell the Florist that I found him through you."

"Oh. Well, fuck did you tell him then?"

"I told him," Haruka downed her drink. "That I overheard a friend selling him out to a yakuza family that he owed money to."

"Oh. Uh, a'ight then. And he bought that?"

"Sure did."

"Yeah, alright yeah, see I told y'all that was a good cover story."

"Sure was." She turned back to the bartender. "Another one."

"So, um," a new voice said. Haruka looked over to see a man poke his head out of Takeshi's office. "Since that problem ended up not being a problem-"

The man had short hair, neatly parted, a pair of thick rimmed glasses, and a plain black business suit. Couldn't be older than 35. He had square shoulders, a square chin, just a square everything.

"Man shut the fuck up, just found out my shit ain't wreck and you wanna go wreck it again? Nah fuck you, fuck her, fuck all y'all, fuck out of here."

The man nervously moved out from the office and into the bar. "Please, sir, my job depends on this."

"Then find a fucking new one, god," Takeshi's frown went particularly deep. "Why the fuck is y'all still here? Goddamn six in the goddamn morning. Out, all y'all out. Closing time motherfuckers, you don't have to go home but get the fuck out of my building."

Takeshi charged over to and kicked the table with the passed out old man on it. He jolted up.

"Technically, um," the square man started. "Technically the entire building doesn't belong to you."

With the old man shambling towards the exit, Takeshi was free to respond to that statement by shoving the square man in the same direction.

Haruka paid her tab and hopped off her stool to join them. Takeshi was mashing the elevator call button as she walked up. The three crowded into the elevator as Takeshi stalked back towards the bar. The old man immediately slumped onto the floor and passed out again.

The square man buried his face in his hands.

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he moaned.

Haruka wasn't paying much attention to him, she was content watching the floor number go down. The goal of getting this drunk had been to phase out literally every single external and internal stimulus she could, and by most counts it had been an all-around success, she was barely aware of what was happening with her on the elevator.

The other guy was restless though, he fidgeted around in the space like he wanted to do some pacing but didn't have the room. All of a sudden, he slammed a fist into the side of the elevator, then leaned back against it and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Goddammit Kitamura," he muttered to himself. "I just got this job."

As Haruka watched the number go down, attempting to tune everything else out, that phrase wiggled through her ear and into her brain. In it she found a point of connection with this man, a point of empathy.

"Goddammit Taro," she half-consciously murmured in agreement.

The man in the elevator straightened up and took a closer at Haruka.

"Did you say Taro?"

Haruka blinked and, with effort, re-entered her body. "What?"

"Taro, like Taro Kitamura? D- Do you know him, do you know where he is?"

"I, um," Haruka shook her head, trying to clear it enough to come up with a convincing lie. "No, I, uh, heard his name on the news this morning."

"Ah." His expression went from absolute elation to devastating disappointment in a single instant.

The elevator gave a ding, the number went from 2 to L, and the doors opened up.

The man stood in front of Haruka, pulling a business card out of his suit pocket.

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners today, my name is Toshiro Iyata, I work for Tenshin Security."

"Cool." Haruka casually barged through Toshiro without looking at the card offered to her and made her way out of the Millennium Tower.

* * *

The sun was up now, very unfortunate as Haruka was trying to sleep on a metal park bench. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, visions swam in her eyes as they were made blind by the sun, and trying to keep straight what was real and what was a fragment of a dream took more energy than Haruka had to give.

Every so often, however, noises in the city would rouse her from her drifting and bring her painfully back into the land of the living.

"Mooooooooom!" a small child screamed. "There's a weird lady sleeping in the park."

"Come here Taka, let's find somewhere else to play," an older woman responded. Haruka caught what was muttered in her direction just after. "Ratty hobos, don't you have proper camps somewhere else? Why do you have to hang out in children's parks?"

"But I'm a children too, miss," Haruka groaned out groggily.

She heard her phone start ringing, gave a long, defeated sigh, then dug it out of her pocket. If it had been Yuta, the plan was to just hang up. He didn't need to see her like this. But it wasn't, the call was apparently coming from "Uncle Ma snake emoji snake emoji knife emoji knife emoji knife emoji 100 emoji 100 emoji".

She answered it, setting the phone by her ear without sitting up.

"Hey Harry," Majima said from the other end.

"Hi Uncle Ma," Haruka croaked out.

"You're looking pretty pathetic right about now, you know that."

"Thanks Uncle Ma."

"Fun fact: When you're absolutely shitfaced like you are now, you're supposed to lay on your side so you don't drown in your own vomit."

Haruka slowly shifted and turned onto her side.

"Bye Uncle Ma."

"Hold on, hold on. I'm calling you for a reason. Thought you ought to know that someone's been tailing you."

That got Haruka's attention. Her focus sharpened and she sat up. "What?"

"Guy in a grody brown suit. Right now he's lingering outside the Poppo just around the corner, but he's been keeping behind you ever since you left the Millennium Tower."

Grody brown suit. Haruka groaned and rubbed her eyes, forcing herself back awake. When she opened them next her expression was dark.

Getting to her feet she stalked out of the park, around the corner towards the Poppo and, like Majima had said, she found Matsushige, calmly standing just outside the building.

Without hesitation she marched right up to him, grabbed him by the lapel of his cheap suit, and decked him in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. She heard a couple of screams from the people milling about.

"I've had," she growled. "Just about enough of you."

Matsushige used the nearby bike rack to push himself up to his feet with one hand while he rubbed his cheek with another.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't really amount to much. It's not like you can kill me, not out here in public at least. That's ironic isn't it, a yakuza using a crowd to protect himself from a civilian."

"When are you going to get a clue and stop following me?"

"And this is the part where we do the run-around again, yes. I tell you to be reasonable and give up Kitamura's location, you refuse and order me to stop following you, I keep tabs on your every move regardless, maybe you beat up me or some goons who were sent to follow you. You are certainly free to continue acting like you can keep this up, but you're looking worse than me right now, so I don't know how believable it'll be."

Haruka collapsed back, sitting on the trash can behind her.

"Just leave me alone."

Matsushige looked curiously at her.

"I don't think you get how this works, Sawamura. Tearing your life down around you, fraying the connections between you and your support and your livelihood to whittle away at your spirit until you cooperate, that's the yakuza standard. I don't know what world you live in where you thought you could call a time out to get yourself together. If you want to be left alone, just give us what we want. You'll get your job and your room and your life back and you'll never have to see any of us ever again and life goes on for everybody."

"Except Kitamura."

"Well, yeah, except for him."

Haruka was starting to feel light-headed. The combination of exhaustion, anger, and booze was not treating her well, but she fought through it nonetheless and stood up straight.

"Well it's not going to happen."

"And here we go again."

"You want to take everything away from me? That doesn't mean anything, you already have. The Tojo dealt its biggest blow before I ever did anything to you. You ruined your chance for my cooperation six years ago, if that was the punishment for doing nothing then you're damn right I'm going to fight back. I didn't make an enemy of you, you made an enemy of me, and I'll tear down your entire organization, soldier by soldier, before I let you break my spirit because that's the only thing I have left to take. Now I'll tell you this once before you become my first target. Stop following me."

Matsushige gave an exaggerated sigh. "Would you rather I lie and say I won't or will telling you up front earn me another punch?"

Haruka grit her teeth and clenched her fists. She let out a snort of hot air and swung a wild haymaker to Matsushige's head. He turned to look her in the eyes, face as immutable and tired looking as ever, and he blurred. Three Matsushiges looked her in the eyes, faces as immutable and tired looking as ever and they all blurred. Her strike landed somewhere within the far left one's head and soared straight through. The world spun underneath Haruka, the color slipping away into the back of her mind. Haruka could feel the world spinning underneath her feet, everything melded together, but the ground, a massive wall of concrete, was rushing up to catch her again and the two met, slammed into each other, and she woke up on a soft couch indoors.

Being horizontal was a very comfortable position to be in, Haruka's body fought to stay like that, especially given the pounding headache gradually making itself known in her skull, but she eventually forced herself to sit up. She was still in her jacket and sweatpants, though her shoes had been taken off at some point. A blanket had been laid over her, now falling around her waist. She pulled her phone out. The time read 3:47 PM, and apparently Yuta had called her twice some five hours ago.

Haruka sighed, mentally kicking herself, but couldn't find it within her to call him back. Not right now.

She knew very well where she was. She hadn't been here in years, but it was a hard place to forget. This was New Serena, empty right now, but still kept in perfect condition and still looking exactly like she remembered it.

Haruka had been laying on one of the booths next to a table. Looking closer, there was a scrap of paper with something written on it sitting on that table.

She stretched, reached out, grabbed it, and started reading.

'Haruka,

Heard around the station that a drunk woman had passed out in the middle of the street after assaulting someone. Thought it might have been you. Posted your bail (you're welcome) and brought you here, laid you on your side so you don't drown in your own vomit. Heard about the Champion District. Very sorry, we're doing our best to find out what happened. This is probably a bad way to handle it though. I don't know when you'll read this, but sit tight, there's a lot we need to discuss when I get off work.

Date'

Haruka frowned, tossed the paper away with a growl, then stood up and left the bar.


	16. Chapter 12: In a Sprung Trap

Haruka lingered just outside the brothel where Taro was hiding. Had been for several minutes now. Occasionally she'd take a step forward, make like she was about to enter the building, but then she would reconsider and take a step back, frustrated with a number of things but mostly herself.

There was a lot she wanted to say to Taro, to discuss with Taro, but most of it was hard to put into words. She had a feeling bubbling in her gut about this entire situation, but the second she moved to act on it, her brain tried to imagine what that conversation would sound like and she drew a blank.

There was nothing she could say to Taro. She could call him names or make another appeal, try to get him to show himself or try to join him in hiding, but none of it was a good idea. Try as she might, Haruka couldn't come up with something that needed to be said to Taro, she just wanted to talk to him.

Haruka cleared her head as best she could and left, there were other people she needed to talk to more anyways.

* * *

The fact that the police had cleared out of Bohemia by now was a good sign that not much was going to be done about the fire. Maybe they were being paid to stay hands-off, or maybe there just wasn't much to be found in collapsing ruins and they'd already wrapped up for the day. In either case, nobody was blocking the entrance, there wasn't even any yellow tape to try and keep her out, so she had a pretty good idea on where she'd find Natsuko.

Haruka plodded through piles of ash, coughing when they sent up clouds, rounded the corner and approached Bohemia.

It was barely recognizable.

The plaster walls had been scorched black, in a couple of places Haruka could look in and see the rebar that was keeping the building held up. There had once been a couple of potted flowers out front to give the exterior a bit of character, but the fire had burned up the plants, leaving a couple of clay pots full of soot. The wooden sign, surprisingly, hadn't fallen to the ground, but not from lack of trying. The piece of wire that held it up had snapped off one end, only kept from falling when it somehow snagged onto the nail, leaving the sign to dangle from its side. The custom carved plank was now little more than a rough scrap of kindling, burned black like the rest, and the surface warped to such a degree that Haruka couldn't make out anything of its original shape or the words that were supposed to be chiseled into it. She reached up and touched it with one finger, only for a quarter chunk of it to snap off and fall to her feet.

Haruka took in a deep breath and then knocked.

She understood there was a good chance she was wrong about this, that Natsuko would not be hanging around inside the still smoldering wreckage of her bar, but to Haruka's surprise a voice did respond from within.

"I'm sorry, but Bohemia is not currently in a position to serve any customers." The voice was cheery and cold. It was the scariest thing Haruka could've expected, Natsuko's customer service voice. "That said, even if we were, the bar doesn't open until 9 PM on most business days anyways. We thank you for your patronage regardless."

"Natsuko," Haruka called back. "It's me. Open up, please."

There was a small pause, almost barely noticeable. "Like I said, ma'am."

"Natsuko please, I want to apologize."

More silence, then the door opened, just by a fraction. Natsuko's sharp, brown eye stared back at Haruka.

"For what?"

Haruka blinked. "I- Uh-"

"What are you apologizing for, Haruka?"

"I- I'm sorry Natsuko. I should've – done better. I should've gotten here sooner, and I should've fought harder, and I should've stopped this from-"

The door slammed in her face.

"We'll need at least a week for the appropriate renovations before we're ready to open again. And remember, 9 PM."

"Natsuko." Haruka pounded on the door again, almost afraid with how charred it had gotten that she'd end up breaking it. "Natsuko please."

Haruka got no response. After a minute of banging on the door she gave up and left.

* * *

Haruka was once again laying on her back on the same bench in the same park. She wanted to pass back out, sleep for the next couple weeks or maybe a month or maybe for the rest of her life.

But she wasn't tired.

Instead she pulled out her phone, found a fun enough game and played that for a while before losing the ability to care. Then she pulled up another game, played that until she got bored with it, downloaded a couple of new games and played those until she got bored.

She had exhausted all her options within the hour.

With a sigh she stowed the phone away and sat up, shoving her hands into her jacket pocket just to give them something to do.

Her eyes blinked open. There was something hard, not any bigger than a chip crumb, stuck in the jacket's wool.

With some finagling she managed to pull it out and held it up to her eye. It was a little black square, perfect and smooth and flat, made out of some kind of plastic.

Haruka stared at the square for a second, curious as to what the heck it was. She fished her phone back out, took a picture, and texted the only person she could really talk to right now.

"Date, do you know what this is?" she sent alongside the photo.

"What happened to sitting tight at new Serena?" he texted back immediately.

She didn't respond to that, but he started typing right after anyways.

"Wherever you are, get out of there now"

Haruka's brow furrowed. She didn't get a chance to start typing before the next message sent.

"That's a tracking chip"

"Shit," Haruka swore, shoving away the phone and throwing the chip to the ground. "Shit shit shit shit!"

She bolted out of the park and sprinted towards Theater Square. Matsushige must've planted this on her while she was passed out. New Serena would also be in trouble now, but the one place she went to since waking up that the Tojo wouldn't know about, the place she definitely lingered around long enough to be suspicious, was the one place she was trying to keep from them.

Haruka went down the steps of the brothel two at a time and slammed into the front door with her shoulder. It buckled under her weight, more easily than it should have. Looking back, seeing the door swinging limply in its frame, seeing the shattered wood chips splashed along the ground, it was obvious someone broke this door down before she could.

Haruka was out of time to lose, she turned and sprinted through the halls of the brothel. No one stopped her, no one greeted her, as far as she could tell the building was empty and deadly quiet. So quiet that, as she rounded the last corner, just hearing noise up ahead made her freeze.

There were voices coming from Taro's room, not raised, conversing casually. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but one of them definitely sounded like Taro.

Haruka crept forward, slowly.

She could make out a few words now. Work. You. Found. The second voice was definitely Taro but the first, Haruka couldn't place it. It wasn't Matsushige, it didn't sound like any of the Tojo captains.

"-figured everyone at the office would be glad to have me gone." That was Taro.

"Of course not, sir. We can't run the business without you there." The voice tickled the back of Haruka's brain. She recognized it from somewhere.

"You're supposed to be second in command, aren't you? And you're a pretty bright bulb on top of that."

"Which is why I took it upon myself to find you."

"Bah. You could've handled things on your own. I'm sure of it. Don't know how much you need me anyways. I'm starting to think I really suck at keeping a low profile."

Haruka managed to make it to the door without making a sound, and she cracked it open ever so slightly. Her eyes widened as she realized why the voice sounded so familiar. Standing there, talking to Taro, that was the guy from the bar, the one who offered her his business card – Iyata.

Iyata scratched the back of his neck. Even from here, Haruka could tell he was having trouble looking Taro in the eyes.

"Hey, um, boss," Iyata said. "Do you – I mean, could you put some pants on? It's weird enough seeing you outside of the suit."

Taro was sitting on his bed, still only wearing the white shirt and boxer shorts.

"Uh, yeah I've got some around here somewhere."

He got up without a thought and moved towards the dresser. Haruka's gaze slid back it Iyata, and she watched as his entire form shifted. His body language went from that of a meek pencil pusher to something much more confident and imposing. Haruka hadn't realized until this moment just how tall he was, he could probably tower over Taro if he wanted to.

Iyata reached into his jacket pocket and slowly, deliberately, pulled out a small pistol. It rose to his eye level as he looked down its sights, right towards the back of Taro's head.

"Taro!" Haruka yelled.

She barged into the room, charging right towards Iyata. Taro spun to see the cause of the commotion and Iyata jumped in surprise but Haruka couldn't bridge the gap fast enough, so Taro gripped his shoulder as a plume of red burst from it and Iyata finished squeezing the trigger and began spinning to face Haruka instead but now he was too late because she was on him now and the two of them crashed to the floor.

Iyata looked like he was ready to put up a fight. Haruka slammed a fist across his face and like that he was out.

She ran over to Taro, still standing somehow but doubled over in pain. His hand was slick and red as he kept it pressed against his shoulder, trying and failing to hold back the flowing blood.

"You've been shot," she said.

"Now she tells me," Taro grunted out.

"I need- We need to-"

"You need to do something about him." He nodded towards Iyata. "I'll be fine."

"Are there any bandages here? A first aid kit or something?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. I'd have to look."

"Give me your shirt."

"What?"

"Your shirt, give me your shirt."

Haruka didn't wait for a response, she grabbed at the shirt over his chest and pulled up, ready to rip it off if she had to. To Haruka's surprised, Taro's free hand moved to pull it back down.

"Don't," he breathed.

"I need to bandage the wound with something, you're going to bleed out if I don't."

"I have other shirts."

"This one's already ruined, and I'll need to take it off anyways."

"You really don't want to-"

"Take it off, now!"

Haruka yanked against Taro's grip, the fabric ripping up and along his back. Taro sucked in a deep breath of air and squinched his eyes shut.

Haruka blinked.

That wasn't…

That couldn't…

For as panicked as she had just been, for as chaotic and loud the world seemed just a few seconds ago, it suddenly froze around her in that instant.

Through the hole in the shirt, along Taro's back, Haruka saw patterns of ink. A scaly form twisted and writhed up his body.

The snarling face, and the fierce yellow eye of a dragon stared back at her.

Haruka didn't know what to say. Taro eventually broke the silence.

"First things first, we need to restrain him. No telling when he'll wake up again. There's a lot of stuff around here you can use for that."

Taro slumped onto the ground and finished tearing his shirt off. Carefully, and with not a lot of precision given his one good arm, he began tying the fabric around his shoulder.

Haruka stood in the middle of the room, watching him work, not moving and not sure what to believe anymore.


	17. Chapter 13: Recourse

Haruka walked back through the brothel, still very much out of it. Her body felt like it was on autopilot, working on its own while her brain kept to itself.

On autopilot, Haruka's body had gone to the convenience store around the corner, gotten a first aid kit and a bottle of whiskey, then moved through the brothel's maze back to Taro's room. It noticed that two of the chairs inside were currently occupied. In one them was Iyata, still slumped over and knocked out, but now his hands were cuffed together with the chain wrapped around the chair's back. Taro was in the other one, his back to her. Without the shirt she could see the full piece of art across his back.

The entire picture was framed by the dragon's body, long and serpentine, it wound its way around the space and encircled it. Along his lower back, however, from within the dragon's form, rose the image of a samurai drawing his sword. Now that she could see both figures, she could tell that the two of them glared more at each other than the viewer. The samurai's blade had just begun to exit its sheath, and the dragon's head was coiled, tight, ready to spring forward at a moment's notice. This was not eternal combat like Aikawa's tattoo, this battle would be decided as soon as it began.

Haruka took the top off her whiskey bottle and took a swig, then handed Taro the rest.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"For me it's to keep my hands steady while I work. For you it's to numb the pain as best you can," she answered. "You need stitches and I assume you don't want to go to a hospital."

Taro nodded in agreement and began downing the rest.

Haruka dug into the first aid kit, pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, removed the makeshift bandage and began disinfecting the twin spots of red and pink on the front and back of his shoulder. He winced under her touch but didn't make a fuss otherwise.

As she worked, her free hand absentmindedly traced along the dragon's body. Taro flinched harder at that touch than the disinfectant.

"Fortunately, you've got an exit wound," she said. "Which means the bullet didn't get stuck in there at least. I don't think I could perform a surgery."

"But you can do stitches?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haruka nodded.

"I've done them before. Sometimes my Unc- my father would come home covered in cuts and gashes. He got into fights pretty often, usually with a bunch of guys at a time. I had to learn pretty fast how to treat the minor wounds if we didn't want to start drowning in hospital bills and unwanted questions."

"Uh-huh," Taro mumbled.

Finally, Haruka pulled out a needle and thread, using the alcohol to disinfect the needle, and got to work stitching Taro back up.

Nothing was said. Haruka felt like she was going to explode but kept focused on the task at hand. She wanted to ask questions, throw accusations, stab Taro with this needle and beat him into the dirt even bloodier than she found him. But, quietly, calmly, she pulled him back together instead.

Eventually, her feelings finally escaped from her mouth. Her voice cracked and she sounded more unsure than anything, but she managed to get out something.

"You're one of them."

Taro sat there for a second, not saying anything, but eventually he shook his head.

"No. No I'm not."

Haruka didn't press him further, and she didn't falter in her work, but her gaze dug through his matted hair and straight through the back of his head.

"You've put yourself so far out for me," he said. "You probably deserve to know." He gave a small chuckle. "I mean it's not like I can hide it now. No, I- I'm not yakuza. But I used to be. Not Tojo, I was with the Omi down in Osaka."

Taro paused, swallowed hard, then polished off the last of the whiskey.

"I was – nothing. Kid off the street, no family, no friends, no money, no future, if you said I was just barely getting by that'd be an overstatement. And they, the Toshima Family it was, they helped me get to my feet. Gave me a suit, gave me a job, set me on the right track and helped me get going. I had more than I ever thought I could possibly have and I got to beat up the people who looked down on me before and I got to fight people and I – I don't know, I was actually happy. It felt like the best life I could live at the time. The family actually, like, felt like a family."

He gave a deep sigh. Haruka noticed his muscles had stopped tensing as much when she poked the needle through his skin. It was either the booze or the palpable sense of surrender in his voice.

"They weren't though. I should've realized sooner but it was a 9 to 5, not people who, you know, cared. At some point I'd caught the eyes of my superiors or put in a few too many hours or something. I don't know what exactly it was, I was up for promotion, but they wanted something done first."

The effect of the booze also kept her hands from shaking as she worked. It struck Haruka as odd, it felt like she should be rattling in her skin listening to this.

"The mark was a guy, I can't even remember his name, but he seemed like a nice guy. Family man. In his thirties. Owned a shop, uh, something with plants. He owned a shop and he was not particularly gracious in accepting the protection fee the Omi put on him. Spit in some guys faces, kicked some guys in the balls, called our patriarch a shrimp dicked shit pickle to his face. You know. After a bit he was starting to whip the whole block into a frenzy. Had a lot of people consider telling the Omi to go fuck ourselves, cause if he could do it, why not them. Family had enough of the guy, so the solution was, they found out where he lived, they gave me a gun, they pointed me in the right direction and said to make sure it happened, or I'd be the one six feet under."

"But, you didn't…"

Taro took a deep breath, slowly nodded, and said, "I did."

Haruka stopped, for just an instant, but quickly pushed herself back into her rhythm.

"I was just a kid. I didn't want to die. I didn't have what it took to tell the family no. I don't remember the guy's name or what he did, but I remember the face he made and the sound I heard when I did him in. I remember what was on the news that afternoon. I remember the patriarch being asked some questions and smoothing it over and making sure the whole world knew that I didn't do anything. That I didn't take away a kid's father and a woman's husband and a community's rock and that I didn't have to wash the blood off my own two hands in a convenience store bathroom right after. The other family guys, they told me that it would get easier every time, but I had no interest in getting to that point."

"You ran?"

"No, but maybe I should've. I played it safe. I stuck to it, worked my ass off, stayed away from any more jobs like that, did a few side hustles, and then I payed my way out. Gave the Alliance a pretty sizable donation of my own personal cash and they bowed me out as a civilian without another word. That was that. The ink on my back meant nothing anymore, I couldn't talk to any of my old friends, they encouraged me to use what I had left to go ahead and move out of Osaka, but at least I was free."

He looked up like he was waiting for Haruka to say something. She wasn't really sure where to start honestly, so his head sank back down.

"Earlier, uh," he started. "You told me that you thought I would know where you were coming from. About how you needed to fight the Tojo Clan. I told you I didn't but, that was a lie. I didn't – I didn't set up a yakuza-intolerant securities business in the Tojo's backyard on accident. I wanted to make a point. I wanted to prove to them, the Tojo and the Omi and all of them, that the world didn't need people like them in it anymore. Didn't want people like them in it anymore. I'm the one spitting in people's faces and kicking them in the balls and calling them shrimp dicked shit pickles now. Each second I spend alive is proof positive that every single one of them is a rusting fossil that can't survive in a world that's sick of them. That things are different from the afternoon I watched that news report and my boss told the world a bold-faced lie about what I'd done."

His eyes flickered over to Iyata.

"I don't know if I'm doing a great job though," he laughed.

"You called him your – second in command?"

"You heard that? Uh, yeah, Iyata is our chief financial advisor. I default to him on most of the company's big decisions. Figure the entire board knows we wouldn't be anywhere without him."

Taro paused, mumbling that last statement again under his breath. Haruka had to stop what she was doing and move with him as he suddenly slumped forward, face in his good hand.

"Son of a bitch," he growled.

Haruka was starting to put it together herself.

"He's one of them," she said.

"It's looking like it." Taro huffed. "Iyata was a relatively recent hire, but he was a hard worker. Rose the ranks really fast. I didn't think anything of it but, if I was to go missing, if I was to wind up dead, he's who the board would choose to inherit my seat. Hell, he's who I'd choose to inherit my seat."

"And Tenshin Security would become a Tojo subsidiary."

"God dammit. I can't believe I got played this hard."

"If what you said before is true," Haruka started. "If every second you spend alive is proving that the world doesn't need the yakuza, then they haven't won yet. They won't win until they kill you, and I won't let that happen."

"Optimistic. Naïve even. But I appreciate the gesture. First thing's first though, my shit has been officially compromised now. I need to get the hell out of here, find somewhere else to hide out. How much longer are the stitches going to-"

Haruka snipped the last piece of thread. With both holes now sealed back up, she took out a couple of bandages and stuck them over the stitching without trouble.

"Right, cool," Taro said. He moved stiffly but quickly, shrugged on a new shirt and started pulling on pants. "Next problem, where the fuck am I going?"

"You didn't have a backup plan?"

"I work in securities, I have a Plan B through Z. But they're all plans that he would know about. This was my only real trump card."

For the briefest of seconds, Taro's eyes jumped to the pistol, still lying on the ground a few feet away. Haruka frowned.

"Taro?"

Taro looked back to Haruka, saw the face she was giving him, and sighed in frustration.

"I don't- I don't know what my options are here. If I don't" he swallowed "If I don't kill him now, then they're going to kill me. I need time to set up something he won't know about, and time isn't something they're going to give me. If I had any other out, I really want any other out, but-"

"I know a place," Haruka said too fast.

Taro looked skeptical.

"I know a place that the Tojo don't know about. You probably don't even know it exists."

"Yeah, okay."

"Just come with me."

Haruka grabbed Taro by the arm and pulled him out of the room. With her other hand, she dug her phone back out, pulled up her recent calls, and dialed.

The phone rang for two agonizingly long seconds as Haruka and Taro made their way out of the brothel.

"Hey Harry," came Majima's voice from the other end. "What's up?"

"I'm coming to you Uncle Ma," Haruka said. "And so is Taro."

"What?"

"I don't have time to explain, but he's in trouble and he needs somewhere to hide."

"Hold on a second. Think it over. You sure that's a good idea?"

Haruka didn't need to give it a thought. She was too far in now. "Positive."

Pause. Haruka was sweating. "Well, alright then."

"I need you to make sure we aren't being followed. Can you watch the people around us while we go?"

"Is half of Pink Street on crack? You just take care of yourself and let me work my magic."

Majima hung up just as the two of them were coming up on the brothel's front door. Taro suddenly yanked back on her arm.

"Tell me where we're going and I'll take the lead," he said. "Act casual, don't look at me, don't talk to me, stay at least 20 feet back."

"Kamurocho Hills."

"Got it."

Taro shrugged out his shoulders and changed his entire body language before her eyes. He was a little more slouched, a little deader in the eyes, it was the exact opposite of the transformation she'd just seen Iyata pull. With hands shoved in his pockets he pushed his way out the door.

Haruka gave him a few seconds before following him out. She did her best to make herself look indistinguishable, but compared to Taro she felt like a clown in full makeup juggling flaming bowling pins. The man was pushing 6 feet and looked like an American surfer, but even Haruka was having trouble tracking him when he melted so seamlessly into the crowd of businessmen and day workers.

Taro slipped through the crowd on the way to Kamurocho Hills while Haruka more pushed through it. Her chest felt like it was going to burst. How she managed to not draw stares was beyond her when she was pretty sure she'd be drenched with sweat and her heartbeat would be heard over even the loudest voices. Every second that passed she was expecting at best Majima calling to tell her she was surrounded by Tojo goons, at worst to not receive that call and find herself surrounded by Tojo goons.

They made it to the Kamurocho Hills shopping center without incident, which only drove Haruka's anxiety about the situation further. She managed to have half a thought about how they would get to Majima secretly with all these people around when she spotted Matsushige out of the corner of her eye.

Haruka swung without thinking, sending Matsushige to the ground, where she realized almost immediately that he wasn't Matsushige. Same broad, tired face, but a second's glance should've told her that this was clearly someone else.

One by one the casual discussions in the crowd turned to concerned whispers. All eyes were on her for having just decked a perfect stranger out in such a crowded location.

Haruka looked down at the panicking businessman cowering on the floor. She muttered "Sorry," to him under her breath.

She squat down onto his chest and laid into the man with punches to the face, trying to pull them as best she could but still causing more than a little blood spray to her left and right. Confusion turned to panic as the entire crowd, only out for some evening shopping, scattered and ran for the exits. Anyone who didn't take off immediately was sent away by an errant glare that accurately communicated the amount of stress Haruka was feeling at this moment.

When only Taro was left, Haruka jumped off of the poor, unconscious salaryman and ran.

"What was-"

"Don't worry about it, just go."

She took the lead again, sprinted over to the now empty courtyard, found the small pond, leaped over to the platform in the middle, and punched the code in just in time to hear faint sirens in the distance.

They faded though, as Haruka and Taro both descended out of the bright midday sun and into the dark room below, lit only by the hundreds of monitors encircling it.

Taro was entranced by the sight before him. In a second, he seemed to forget about the fear for his life and became absorbed in the live footage surrounding him.

After a minute they reached ground level, where Majima stood waiting. Haruka hopped off the platform as soon as she could, Taro hadn't moved an inch.

"You must be Kitamura." Majima grabbed Taro's limp hand and began shaking it. "I've heard a lot about you, heard you run a good company, tough on crime and tough on people, apparently you're very good at not getting stabbed, I have to respect that."

Taro didn't respond. Majima took note of his unbreaking gaze.

"Dig the digs? Haven't had a pleasant walk in quite a while but on the plus side I got a front row seat to all the juiciest gossip the city has to offer."

Yeah, it's- Wow," he eventually responded. "In my line of work, I don't know if this is a wet dream or a nightmare."

"Happens to me all the time." Majima turned his attention to Haruka. "Hey Harry, mind if I borrow you for a moment."

Without waiting for a response, he put his arm over Haruka's shoulders and lead her to a dark corner of the room.

"What the fuck, Harry?" he whispered. "You're blowing my cover here. And for this guy? The Florist has an air of mystery to maintain you know."

"I'm really sorry Uncle Ma," she whispered back. "Someone he knew really well stabbed him in the back and I panicked. The only place I could think to keep him safe was here."

Majima let out a long, exasperated sigh. After looking back and forth from Haruka to Taro, he eventually concluded, "If he double crosses me, I'm allowed to kill him."

"That's fair."

"Great," Majima said, loud enough for Taro to hear. "Well Mr. Kitamura, if you'll kindly step off the platform so I can cover my hidey hole back up. You may notice the general lack of amenities, but I'm sure if we sleep and piss in shifts we'll manage."

Majima shot one last worried look back at Haruka, before similarly leading Taro over to the desk, offering to show him how everything worked.


	18. Side Story: Moonlighting

"So, what happens now?" asked Haruka, leaned against the desk.

"Well, I need to start calling people and set up a more permanent safe house," said Taro, seated on the side of the bed. "I certainly don't want to put you out, uh, Mr. Florist."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I appreciate the company," said Majima, kicking around the room in his office chair. "To tell you the truth, the constant isolation may have driven me a bit nuts."

Taro ignored the comment and steepled his fingers. "One thing I'm worried about though: When you – beat the shit out of that guy, you managed to clear everyone out, but you also made a lot of witnesses."

"But they didn't see where we went."

"They didn't see where we went, but they know about where we are. If the Tojo catches wind of this, they'll be putting a lot of eyes on the Hills, which, I don't know if you want something like that around here."

Majima sputtered to a stop and sighed as he forced himself to take this seriously.

"Yeah, that would be a pain in the ass."

"Well, they're mostly looking for me," Haruka said. "Maybe I can run around the city a bit more, throw them off the location."

Taro rubbed his chin. "It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. Will you be able to get out?"

Majima spun in his chair. His eye flitted across a dozen different screens. "Cops have cleared out, you're good to go. But, uh, maybe don't head back here until closing. Feel like that's just going to make the same problem all over again."

"Right." Haruka scratched her head and huffed.

Majima punched some keys and brought the platform back down, where Haruka hopped on and was lifted back into the midday sun.

Majima wasn't entirely right, there were a couple of officers lingering around the scene, asking some questions. The guy Haruka had beat up was back on his feet, albeit with swelling all over his face.

It wasn't too hard to sneak past them and out of the Hills. And once she was out, Haruka commenced with her plan to sprint across Kamurocho. She sprinted down Pink Street and up Nakamichi and around the Millennium Tower and just as she staggered past Theater Square her body gave out and forced her to come to a stop. She leaned down, grabbed her knees, and took a moment to just try and get some oxygen back in her body.

Theater Square looked… different than usual. It took Haruka a second to realize what exactly she was seeing.

The entire plaza was full of anime characters!

Well, okay, not anime characters, but Theater Square was swarming with people in various costumes, some she recognized and some she didn't. There must be a convention in town today.

No time to dwell on it, she felt a bit of her stamina return to her, not enough to keep running, but enough to starting walking forward at least.

With Theater Square being as active as it was, conversations flowed in and out of Haruka's earshot, but before she could get out of the Square fully, one voice made itself known above the others, both by being very close to Haruka and by being very loud.

"What do you mean you're sick!? Why couldn't you have told us this sooner! Can't you be sick tomorrow!?" It was a shrill voice, sounded like a teenage girl. There was no response, just an open pause before she continued. "I don't want you to apologize, just get here. What do you mean you can't!?" Another pause. "Replacement? Where am I going to find a replacement!? You think a pretty girl with long, strong legs and hair down to her ankles is just going to saunter up in front of me?"

Haruka blinked. Out of morbid, defeated curiosity, she stole a glance out of the corner of her eye to confirm that, yes, the girl who had just been yelling was staring straight at her.

"H- Hey! You there! Wait up a second, please!"

Haruka lowered her head and sighed before turning towards her.

The girl was probably late teenager, early 20s maybe, and was also in costume. She had full, black hair down to the small of her back, and was wearing a very tight white shirt with a red collar and a big purple bow on the front and a very small red skirt, a red choker and a gold tiara.

Haruka knew this one, she was… Sailor Mars.

"Excuse me," Mars said, the sharp anger in her voice having all but subsided, or perhaps more forced down. "I know this is very sudden, but could you please help me out?"

"Uh, sorry. I'm a little busy right now."

"Please. You don't understand, this is of the utmost importance, it's the most important thing to ever happen, we've been planning this for months and it's all crumbling down around me."

"I-"

"My life is crumbling down around me!" The sharpness in her voice was coming back. "You have to help, I need your help more than I've needed anything in my life, I'll never ask you anything ever again please!"

Mars was a blubbering mess now, grabbing at Haruka's jacket and sinking further down with every word.

"F- Fine!"

In an instant the waterworks stopped, and Mars pushed her voice back up a few octaves.

"Oh, thank you so much! Come on, follow me."

Mars grabbed Haruka by the wrist and dragged her into the plaza. Just outside the APA Hotel were three other Sailor Scouts.

"Guys," Mars shouted before they were even close. "I found us a new Usagi!"

The one in orange with long, blonde hair (Venus?) folded her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't she a little old?"

"Ch'oh my god," said the one in green with the brown ponytail (Jupiter, right?). "Don't be so fucking mean Eruna, she's just trying to help."

The one in blue with the bob cut (Mercury, that one was Mercury) looked around nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea Yuzu?"

Mars (or Yuzu, Haruka supposed) looked confident. "Don't worry about a thing, once we get her hair dyed and did, she'll look even better than Kumiko."

"Wait," Haruka said. "You're going to dye my hair?"

"Ch'yeah," Jupiter said. "Usagi is like, a blonde, isn't she?"

"Yuzu did you drag some random lady over to us without even telling her what we're doing?" asked Venus (or, Eruna).

"Oh. My. God. Yuzu you didn't."

"Well," Yuzu started. "I – well, no, but – okay kind of."

Sailor Mercury looked her over.

"Do you know what cosplay is?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's where people dress up like a fictional character they like."

"She got it in one," Eruna snarked. "I guess she's perfect."

Mercury moved past the comment. "The four of us, we're entered in a group cosplay contest. As a group of five."

"And then our main character decided to call in sick." Yuzu added.

Haruka was pretty sure you couldn't decide to be sick.

"And you want me to dress up as this character in her place?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Jupiter was nodding excitedly. "Can you do it?"

"I don't know, this is all a little sudden, isn't it?"

Eruna stepped forward. "Well as it stands, you don't really have time to think about it. The contest starts in an hour. You wouldn't be my first choice, but there's not much room for us to wiggle here. Can you help us or not?"

"I- I guess since I'm already here."

"Yes!" Yuzu pumped her fist.

"Alright!" Jupiter yelled, throwing her arms around Haruka's neck.

"Thank you," Mercury said quietly.

"You're welcome," Haruka said awkwardly through Jupiter's arms. "I'm Haruka. Haruka Sawamura."

"Well," Eruna said. "You've already met Yuzu. I'm Eruna. That's Hibiki." She pointed to Jupiter. "And that's Ryuko." Then to Mercury. "And if you want to be ready by the time we need to go up, Haruka, you're going to have to go up to the hotel room and start working on your hair now."

"I'll take her," Ryuko said.

Yuzu's fist shot skyward in victory. "We're officially back in this ladies, let's rock!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Haruka exited through the hotel's automatic door, feeling absolutely ridiculous.

Her hair had been dyed a golden blonde and done up in two buns on either side of her head, each with a single lengthy lock of hair falling to her sides. Her shirt, jacket, and pants had been left folded back on the hotel bed, and now she was wearing a tight, white spandex shirt with a big blue sailor collar and a big red bow over her chest. She had been given a pair of dangling gold earrings, a small gold broach in the middle of the bow, a foam tiara that had been spray painted to match the rest of her jewelry, elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots, and a blue skirt that barely covered any amount of her thighs.

Haruka huffed and tried to push her skirt farther down.

"I have some longer skirts at home, can't I wear one of those?"

"Yo, but you look so perfect though," Hibiki said.

"Yeah, no," Yuzu added. "We're not losing points on accuracy for something like that. Though speaking of which…"

Yuzu looked her up and down with a scathing, critical eye. Haruka wondered what problem Yuzu could possibly have over a costume that she designed.

"Have you ever actually seen Sailor Moon?"

"I, uh, watched a little bit when I was a kid."

"Aw, nice," Hibiki said, oblivious to the mood of absolute judgement that Haruka was drowning in. "What's your favorite episode?"

"I, uh-"

"Not important right now, Hibiki," Eruna said. "What Yuzu is too polite to say is that your posture's all wrong. Only half of cosplay is dressing up as the character, the other half is becoming them."

"She's got a point," Yuzu said. "Usagi is strong and courageous and stands up for her friends, but she also has a mischievous side. You need to straighten your back out, open your stance a little bit, and, like, actually smile."

"Try and pretend like you're young and full of energy again basically."

Haruka didn't remember Sailor Venus being this belittling in the show either, but she swallowed her words and tried to focus on becoming the character.

Back when she was an idol she had to put on a cute face all the time, but this needed to be slightly different. She needed a mischievous edge. Something a little goofier than usual, but would still win over the hearts of the audience.

Haruka gave a small twirl on her toes, then landed and fanned a hand in front of her face, utterly failing to mask a childish snicker.

She got a round of impressed clapping from the four other girls.

"Nice," said Hibiki.

"Very nice," added Yuzu.

"That was very good, Haruka," Ryuko said. "Have you done this kind of thing before?"

"I, uh, I have some experience on stage."

"It's better than nothing," Eruna said.

"For the actual presentation," Yuzu continued. "The four of us are going to run on stage and face away from the audience, you need to wait a few seconds and then join us."

"Like you're running late," Ryuko added.

"Ch'yeah, maybe have some toast in your mouth or something," Hibiki added with a giggle.

"Toast?" Haruka asked.

"No toast!" Yuzu said. "We're running this too last minute to improvise something like that. So, you run out and stand in the exact middle of us and face away from the audience as well."

"Come out late, act flustered, stand in the middle, face upstage, got it."

"Good. Next we're going to turn one by one and strike our poses. You've got it easy, since you go last. Before you turn, make sure to shout out 'Moon Prism Power', then pose."

"Usagi's pose is one fist on her hip, the other hand doing a peace sign by her head," Ryuko said.

"Yeah, like this." Yuzu thrust an arm up and demonstrated the pose.

"Like this?" Haruka mirrored her.

"That's close, cock the hips a little more and put your thumb out too. And make sure you snap into it, it'll give the thing some pop."

Haruka tried it again with a snap, and accidentally smacked herself in the forehead.

Hibiki doubled over laughing.

"Uh, try not to do that onstage," Yuzu said.

"I don't know Yuzu," Ryuko said, thoroughly unphased. "Maybe it can be part of her character or something."

Eruna let a long sigh. "We're so done."

"That's going to have to be close enough," Yuzu said. "It's almost time, we need to check in with the organizer."

The four Sailor Scouts jogged off into the square. Ryuko at least stopped and nodded for Haruka to follow. After chewing her lip for a second, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into, she followed.

A small wooden stage had been constructed against the billboard that rose up against the far end of the plaza. Directly in front of it, a small fold-out gazebo had been deployed with a plastic table and three chairs underneath it.

To the side of the stage stood a clean cut, professional looking man with a simple black suit scribbling on a clipboard. He just waved off a cluster of kids that were dressed as, what looked to Haruka like a team of American superheroes, raised the clipboard to his mouth and yelled "Last call for group category entrants!"

"We're here!" Yuzu shouted back. "We're here!"

"Oh, perfect," the clean cut man said. "You would be the Sailor Scouts, entered by a Miss Yuzu, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," Yuzu said, a little out of breath.

"Great. You were the last ones we were waiting on. I'll ask you to wait behind this wall with the other entrants until you're lead out to do your performance."

Yuzu bowed graciously, the other Sailor Scouts and Haruka followed her lead a second later.

"Thank you so much," she said.

"No problem." The clean cut man smiled brightly then shooed them off, turning back to the crowd to yell again. "The group cosplay presentation will begin in about five minutes. If you wish to spectate, please do not stand anywhere past the judges table."

* * *

Haruka was unfortunately very familiar with the situation she was in. While she wasn't literally backstage, which perhaps made things worse, since a number of people wandered around behind the billboard to catch a peek at all the costumes, she was more or less backstage right now. Swallowing down the same butterflies she hadn't had to deal with in nearly ten years now.

The 'backstage' area was very crowded, too crowded to get any more practice in. The only thing Haruka could really do was stand there and rehearse her, admittedly very short performance over and over again in her head. Every few minutes a new group would be called to the stage, some came back again once they were done, others didn't, probably to watch the rest of the performances.

Before she knew it, the clean-cut man called out for the Sailor Scouts, and it was their turn to go up.

"You guys ready?" Yuzu asked.

"Now that you mention it, no," Eruna answered, looking more flustered than bitter now.

"Like, come on you guys, this is going to be great," Hibiki said as softly as she could.

The four of them moved out from the crowd and, in a single file line, rounded the corner and walked on stage. Haruka made to follow them, then froze as she remembered her special part.

Haruka counted out three seconds, then ran forward. She built up enough momentum that, when she popped out from behind the billboard, she skid for half a meter before changing directions and darting onto the stage. The four other Scouts were lined up, facing away from the crowd, with hands poised dramatically on their hips, and Haruka's spot left wide open in the middle. She came to a stop in the spot, doubled over to hold herself up on her knees, stole a glance at the crowd, then jumped up straight and faced away from the crowd, posing like the rest.

A wave of laughter rippled across the crowd. One step down.

She noticed, while having seen the audience, that the chairs under the gazebo were filled now. Three judges, presumably, sat attentive and grinning. There was a guy dressed in a casual button up shirt and black jeans, another, much younger man in an actual costume, with a black trenchcoat and some prop swords at his side, and a woman in an elaborate pastel lolita dress.

Without further ado, the Sailor Scouts began their introductions.

"Venus Power!" Eruna yelled from Haruka's left. She could see Eruna out of the corner of her eye as she performed a few flourishing gestures with one arm before twirling around and stopping with one arm pointed skyward, and the other crossed over her chest underneath it.

"Jupiter Power!" Hibiki was next, on Haruka's right, thrusting one palm forward as she spun, and landing in something approximating a fighting stance, with wide, slightly bent knees, one arm held forward, and the other kept by her head.

"Mars Power!" Yuzu came from Haruka's left, almost going full spread eagle as she spun, and stopping with her legs crossed and waist turned so her torso still faced the audience, one hand kept on her hips.

"Mercury Power!" Ryuko yelled from Haruka's immediate right. Her arms went wide, while not going above her waist. After giving the moment a pause to build, she spun on one foot to face the audience, and lost balance and fell back onto her ass.

Haruka could feel the barely contained panic in the three other girls, not willing to compromise their own poses for this, but only just. Haruka considered for a brief moment what her character was and what she should do in this situation. Back when she was doing idol work, she'd been told a number of times that a mistake could be turned into part of the show with the right bit of character work.

Haruka stole another glance at the audience, then held out a hand to help Ryuko to her feet, putting on the warmest smile she could muster. Ryuko graciously accepted it, getting back up to her feet and popping into her pose. She stood pigeon legged, and at first glance she seemed just as unstable, but Haruka could tell this was more practiced. Ryuko wouldn't fall over now. Some well-meaning giggles and soft cooing splashed about the crowd, it sounded like her gambit had been a success.

Which meant it was her time. They hadn't told her about adding any flourishes to her spin, so she'd have to improvise.

"Moon Prism Power!"

Haruka jumped into her spin, at first curling into herself, but then throwing her arms and legs out wide and landing on her toes. She kept her eyes closed, holding a serene expression for just a moment, then snapped into her pose, a fist on her hips and the other hand throwing out a peace sign over her head, putting in a big, brash smile. And this time she didn't smack herself in the face.

The crowd burst into applause. The other four Scouts let their poses drop and bowed to the audience, so Haruka followed their lead. They turned and walked offstage, keeping order until they made it behind the billboard again.

As soon as they were out of sight, and a small distance away from the crowd of cosplayers still waiting to go up, Hibiki let out a high pitched squeal of delight and began hopping up and down.

"Ch'oh my gosh ch'oh my gosh ch'oh my gosh! Haruka that was so good!"

"That was very professionally handled," Ryuko mused. "You said you've done this kind of thing before?"

"Uh, something like this," Haruka said.

"That was fantastic," Yuzu said. "I think we've got a real chance again."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Eruna said. "We'll see how good we did when results are up."

"Right." Haruka felt out of breath. "Right."

A whistle from behind made Haruka's ear twitch. She turned to see five guys approaching them as a group.

None of them were in costumes, if it wasn't for the circumstances, she'd think they were nothing more than some street trash. Haruka was wondering if they were even here for the convention, but she spotted that each of them was wearing a lanyard around their necks, with a convention name splashed across in bright letters.

The guy heading their formation approached.

"Hey girls," he said. Haruka could hear the slime on his voice. "Saw the show just now. Wanted to tell you that I think your costumes are great."

"Thanks," Yuzu said cheerily, giving a sharp thumbs up and no hint at understanding any other ulterior motives.

"Yeah, no, they look great," said what appeared to be the guys' second in command. "Bet they'd look even better on a hotel floor."

Yuzu's face and thumb fell. She seemed to get it now.

"Ew, so grody," Hibiki groaned.

"Hey come on," said the leader again. "Don't be like that. There's five of us, five of y'all, we even got a hotel room already, let's make a night of it."

The guys in the back were starting to spread out a little, almost moving to surround their group.

"Back off perverts!" Eruna yelled.

"I'm hurt," one of the especially meat-headed looking ones said. "It ain't like that, we're all out to have a good time."

"But, what about the contest?" Ryuko asked. "We need to hear who wins."

The leader brushed aside the question with a casual hand. "The best part of cons isn't winning pointless awards and shit. It's about having fun, meeting people. Forget the contest and let's get to know each other a little better."

"But-" Ryuko was trying to mount a defense but seemed to come up short.

"I said back off!" Eruna growled through her teeth. One of the guys seemed to be getting especially handsy with her.

"Uh…" Yuzu's face was painted with despair. She was trying to figure out what to do, now that everything seemed to be crumbling down around her again.

"I've heard enough!" Haruka yelled out.

The leader of the gang seemed more amused than anything by the outburst.

"To attempt to take advantage of girls in such a way goes beyond villainy, it takes the scum of the earth to do such a thing. An act like this is simply impossible to forgive!" Haruka extended the index and little finger on either hand, crossing her arms in front of her chest and pointing one hand at the leader. "I am Sailor Moon, champion of truth, beauty, and justice. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

The entire gang was giggling now. The leader looked around, waiting for the joke to present itself.

"What the f-"

Haruka shot forward in an instant and slammed a gloved fist into the leader's stomach. He doubled over at the waist from the impact. Haruka leaned over him, wrapped her arms under his gut, and lifted him off the ground, flipping him upside down fully, then dropped, slamming his head and neck into the pavement below.

When she stood again, the man slumped over on the ground, limp and unconscious.

The four remaining guys and the four other girls stood stock still in identical shock. The second in command guy seemed lost without his leader to lean on, and in a panic, took a run at Haruka. That was the signal for the rest of their group to bumrush at Haruka as well.

She ducked the second in command's wild swing, shot two quick jabs to his gut, then stepped back and spun to elbow another guy in the throat. Her hand shot up and her fingers dug into his hair before he could stagger too far back, and latched on as she shoved his head forward to intercept the meat headed one. The two of them ran right into each other and flew off their feet and onto their backs.

The second in command recovered by now and grabbed Haruka by the hand. Without missing a beat, Haruka flipped behind him, grabbing at his arm in turn and yanking it back to force him into putting himself into a headlock. He struggled to escape his own grapple and started throwing elbows back, grazing Haruka in the ribs. It was only a matter of time before he got a more substantial hit in, so Haruka put an end to things. She gave his arm one last yank, hard enough to send him off his feet and spinning through the air where his heel clipped the cheek of the fifth guy and sent him to the ground as well. Haruka slammed her boot into the second in command's gut, forcing him to sit back up. Before he could fall down again, Haruka grabbed him by the face, then threw his head back down where it rebounded painfully off the concrete, and he was out.

The meat headed guy and the guy he'd slammed into were on their feet now. The other one charged forward first, and just as he'd begun to cock his fist back, Haruka clapped both hands to his ears. His attack interrupted, both hands went to cover his ears immediately. As he stumbled and winced, Haruka sprung off her feet and sent him down for good with a spinning roundhouse. Without losing momentum, Haruka plucked the foam tiara from her head and tossed it at the meat headed guy. It pinged off of his forehead without a scratch, leaving him to blink in confusion. Enough confusion that he didn't notice the bicycle that followed it until it was crashing into his face, snapping off in the middle into two pieces as he was left to stagger back before falling to the ground and lying still.

Haruka turned back to the Sailor Scouts, breathing heavily.

"Are you guys okay?"

The four of them did nothing more than silently stare at Haruka in shock. The stillness wasn't broken until Hibiki yelled out.

"Holy shit!"

"That was amazing, Haruka," Yuzu said. "You trashed those guys like it was nothing."

"They were super scary too," Ryuko added. "I didn't know what we would've done."

"Yeah girl!" Hibiki was back to her excitable self. "That was fucking tits!"

Eruna hadn't moved an inch, her face hadn't dropped, and she hadn't even looked away from where Haruka had been standing when the fight ended.

"Eruna?" Haruka walked up to her. "You okay?"

Without warning, Eruna jumped forward and pulled Haruka into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it," Haruka said. "I know firsthand just how scary this city can be."

"You know," Eruna said, breaking away now. "Seeing you fight like that, hearing you say those words, it reminded me of why I liked watching Sailor Moon to begin with."

"Thank you," Haruka said. "I wasn't sure if I got her character really down right, I was just going off of what I remember seeing as a kid, but-"

She was cut off when the clean cut man organizing the contest yelled to be heard over the crowds of people.

"We're going to be announcing the results for the group cosplay contest shortly. All participants, please gather by the stage to accept your awards."

"Oh, shoot," Yuzu seemed to snap out of it. "We need to get back to see who won."

Without waiting for Haruka, the four of them took off back towards the stage, leaving Haruka to jog along behind them, still feeling a little winded.

All the cosplay groups were ushered back in front of the billboard with the crowd while the judges deliberated behind it. After a few particularly tense minutes, the clean cut man walked out from behind the billboard and onto the stage. He carried a small table with him, on which sat three small trophies. A bronze, a silver, and a gold.

"Alright," he said, placing the table down and rubbing his hands together. "Our third place winner is… the Phantom Thieves!"

A group of teenagers began cheering from the crowd and walked onstage. They looked to Haruka like they were just wearing casual clothes, albeit highly choreographed ones. It probably meant something to somebody.

The Phantom Thieves accepted their bronze trophy and moved offstage just as quick and just as excitedly.

"Our second place winner is… the Sailor Scouts!"

"Second?" Yuzu asked. "We got second!"

"Bitch we got second!" Hibiki said. "Come on let's go!"

They moved up onto the stage, broad smiles all around, where Yuzu accepted the silver trophy and held it up to another round of applause from the crowd. They made their way offstage as calm and collected as they went up. It wasn't until they were off to the side and out of earshot that they gathered into a small huddle and started freaking out. Cheers and gasps and confused noises were exchanged throughout the five of them.

"Second? We got second?" Yuzu asked, almost disappointed looking.

"That's still really good, Yuzu," Ryuko asked. "We were second best, that's better than most everyone else here."

"But if we got second," Eruna said. "Who was first?"

"And our first place winner is…" came the clean cut man's voice from the stage. "Class 1-A!"

The superheroes Haruka had seen earlier all crowded onto the stage. Looking at the group as a whole now, there were at least a dozen of them, and a lot of them had wild outfits and odd features. One of them had their skin painted pink. One of them was wearing a full on robot suit. One of them even had a false bird head helmet of some kind over their face.

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense actually."

The four of them turned back from the stage to face Haruka.

"I can't thank you enough for all you did for us, Haruka," Yuzu said. "You were the best Usagi we could've hoped for."

Eruna nodded in silent, embarrassed agreement.

"It was no trouble," Haruka said. "It was actually really fun being able to dress up and pretend to be someone else."

"Maybe next time we make a group cosplay, you can, like, join us as a sixth member," Hibiki said.

"Uh, maybe, probably not. Speaking of that, though. Now that I've helped you, can I ask you to help me?"

"Help you with what?" Yuzu asked.

Haruka sighed. "Please, wash this junk out of my hair."


	19. Chapter 14: Over the Clouds

Sho Aikawa clomped down the dark and empty hallways of a shitty rundown whorehouse. He'd been here a couple of times, back when he was shit poor. The service certainly wasn't bad, but as soon as he got a scrap of cash to his name he moved on to bigger and better places.

Aikawa thought on this almost fondly, as he began forming in his mind the plans to torch the building.

He was flanked by two of his best men, the guys who could and would lay the absolute smack down if worst came to worst. And if worst came to worst came to worst, Aikawa could put them on the ground without a second thought. That was a rule of the yakuza that Aikawa kept close to the chest, if your men can beat you in a fight, then you're a shit leader.

Several of his not-so-best men were searching the place top to bottom as he walked. No sign of Kitamura yet, but they had apparently found something that he needed to see.

Down a number of confusing twists and turns, he was led into the only room in the building with a light on. It was more elegant than the other rooms, in that it had a bedframe on the twin size cot and a dresser and a table and a chair where Toshiro Iyata sat all alone with his hands chained behind his back, like a pathetic cuck who came in for the humiliation until even the bargain bin whore couldn't handle his shit anymore and just left him there.

The useless sack of shit even had the gall to look happy to see Aikawa.

"Boss!" Iyata shifted in his seat to look at him better.

"Iyata, I assume you've got good news for me."

"Boss he was here! Kitamura! I saw him, I- I had him!"

Aikawa, without breaking stride, strolled over and grabbed the back of Iyata's chair, tilting it off its front two legs. That was always a fun move, it made him smile to see Iyata wet his pants.

"Operative word here being… was. Ain't no body." He noticed the splash of red on the far corner of the room, by the dresser. "Don't look like he bled out either. Where is he now?"

"I- I had him. He was right here."

Aikawa tipped him a little further back, just as far as the chair would go before falling over.

"But?"

"But… that girl. Sawamura. She got the drop on me. I didn't think she'd even be here, I- I watched her sit still in a park for an hour, I thought she-"

"And I'm assuming," Aikawa cut him off. "That you fought her off, killed her too, finished the job with Kitamura, stashed their corpses somewhere else, then came back and chained yourself to this chair here to give yourself an alibi."

Iyata was having trouble looking Aikawa in the eyes now. Aikawa was laughing at the poor sap in his head. This was gonna go so bad for him.

"N- No, sir."

Aikawa nodded.

"So, what actually happened then, is that when you had Kitamura cornered, you got the shit kicked out you by a chick, who then tied you to this chair. Real shit chair too, you didn't even try and break out of this. And I mean you clearly could."

To demonstrate, Aikawa kicked one of the chair's legs, one of the legs it was still balancing on. The leg snapped like a dry twig and flew off into the corner. Iyata yelped and shut his eyes tight, but Aikawa kept the chair held up on just the one so he didn't fall over. Not yet.

"W- W- I- I just thought-"

"Where's Kitamura now?"

Aikawa spun the chair so he had no choice but to look him in the eyes now.

"I- What? S- Sir?"

"You didn't manage to off Kitamura, so where is he now?"

"I… don't… know…"

"You don't know?"

"I, um, sir, I- Sawamura, she… knocked me out. When I woke up they were both gone."

"No idea whatsoever?"

"N- No?"

Aikawa let the chair go and Iyata hit the ground with a crash and a whine.

"Go ahead and get started without me, boys." He waved to his two guys. "I need to make a call."

He left the room, pushing Iyata's cries of increasing distress out of his mind, dug his smartphone out of his pocket and dialed.

Two and a half seconds before the bastard picked up.

"Kenji Matsushige speaking."

"Matsushige, we need to do something about Sawamura. She went ahead and put the kibosh on Iyata and his tracking chip plan. I think she's signed a death warrant by now, and this is starting to feel like a 'sooner rather than later' situation. You feel me?"

"As per usual, I'm far ahead of you."

Aikawa actually laughed. "You gonna handle this one?"

"It'll be done tonight. I'm just putting the finishing touches on things."

"Yeah, alright. You handle it then. Just don't let the bitch catch you with your pants down, alright?"

Matsushige hung up. Fuck that guy.

Aikawa dialed again. This one only took a second before picking up. Better.

"Yo."

"Hey, Minami. A little birdie told me that some shit's going down tonight. Sounds like a real party. Sawamura's gonna be there." Aikawa paused for just a second, just long enough to hear the crunch of leather as Minami sat to attention. "Unfortunately, I'm going to be wrapped up here for a while. You looking to score an invite?"

Aikawa could hear Minami's sly smile across the line. "Always."

* * *

Haruka still had some time on her hands before needing to go back to Kamurocho Hills. The sun had already begun to set, but in a town like this that didn't necessarily mean stores were going to close any time soon.

She wandered around the city for another hour, and as it got actually dark, she made her way back towards Majima. The metal gates had been lowered over the Hills, and the one that Haruka had broken still lifted up to let her in.

She needed to sidestep around a few janitors to get through the shopping center, but the pond that the Florist hid under was unguarded and so Haruka was able to board the platform and enter the cell without further complication.

Taro was pacing the limited space given to him in the room, talking on the phone as professionally as he could while still being clearly panicked. Majima was spinning around in his office chair, eye darting from screen to screen in a pattern Haruka didn't hope or try to follow.

"Anyone see you?" he asked without looking at her.

"I think so. I didn't scream my name out or anything, but there was a scene made."

"Anyone see you coming back?"

"No. Shouldn't have, at least. I was careful, Uncle Ma."

"Good, that's good." Majima didn't seem to pay her much attention and continued to scan monitors all over the room.

Taro was busy, Majima was busy, Haruka was decidedly not. It made sense to keep her head low given the circumstances, but hiding out always felt so inactive. So spineless.

So – like she was letting someone get away with something.

Haruka's phone rang. A distraction would at least be welcome at this point. She fished it out of her pocket.

Yuta wanted to facetime.

Haruka sighed.

If she brushed him off for too long he'd start worrying. He might start looking for her. He might start asking questions and realize just what she'd gotten herself into.

She didn't want to run from Yuta anymore. She was going to answer the phone and talk to him. She didn't have to let him in on all of it, not yet, but she did need to let him in a little.

Haruka found a corner that wouldn't be disconcertingly dark, but would still hide the fact that she was currently in an underground information bunker. She sat on the floor, readied her phone, put on the warmest smile she could muster, and answered.

The cold, dead eyes and tired, drooping face of Kenji Matsushige stared back at her.

Haruka's mouth dropped, her eyes went wide, her heart sank into her stomach, and her blood turned to ice, and that was before Matsushige could even begin talking.

And then he began talking.

"Sawamura," he greeted without energy or emotion. "You might be growing suspicions in your mind at this moment. This is, presumably, an unnatural occurrence for you. But, to perfectly elucidate the meaning and intentions of this call, I'm telling you now that this is a hostage situation."

The camera turned, moving away from the uncomfortably close face of Matsushige and spinning 180 degrees around to show, sitting on what appeared to be a fancy and plush beige couch, Yuta and Haruto. Both with arms tied behind their backs, both with strips of cloth gagging their mouths. Haruto was squirming, panic in his eyes, while Yuta slumped over with a fresh, crimson mark across his temple.

"Here's how this works." The camera turned back to Matsushige's face. "In one hour, you will meet me on the roof of the Millennium Tower alone. If you bring someone else with you, the child dies. If I notice police presence, the child dies. If you are even a minute late, the child dies. You will tell me the location of Kitamura, and I will then send one of my employees to verify your claims. If they go where you tell them and report back that Kitamura is not there, the child dies. Nod yes if you understand."

Haruka's teeth were clenched shut and hot air fumed out of her nostrils, but slowly she forced herself to nod yes.

"Excellent," Matsushige said. "That is all. We'll meet exactly one hour from now. Goodbye."

Matsushige hung up, his face disappearing into black before her phone wallpaper popped back up.

She looked up, both Taro and Majima were staring directly at her.

Without hesitation, without acknowledgement, Haruka got to her feet and marched towards the platform.

"I need to go," she said.

"Woah woah woah." Taro moved to intercept her. "Are you – are you going to sell me out?"

"Never."

"Yeah, I'd love to take your word for it, but, they've got a kid apparently? And they're going to kill them?"

"I won't let that happen either."

"Do you hear yourself right now? Are you serious?"

"They took my child and my husband, how could I not be serious right now?"

"Wait wait wait!" Majima leaned forward with a deathly concerned look on his face. "You're _married?"_

Haruka didn't react. Majima got the message, slumped back in his chair and massaged his forehead.

"Do you honestly, actually think," he said. "That you can get your family out of there without giving us up?"

"I swear to you."

"Cause if you're selling him out, you're selling me out. We both die here, you understand that."

"Uncle Ma. I swear to you I can do this."

Majima studied her expression for a good, long while. He looked into each of her eyes, saw the fierceness that stared back at him, and without another word, spun his chair around, punched some keys on the keyboard closest to him, and the platform started descending.

"You're crazy," Taro said. "You're both fucking crazy."

Majima nodded to Haruka. "I trust you."

The platform reached the bottom and Haruka stepped onto it. Taro moved to follow her up.

"Stay here, Taro," she said. "You'll be safer."

He faltered, just long enough for the platform to start rising back up. Haruka gave the worried man one last nod before looking straight up to the night sky as she approached it.

Kitamura looked back at Majima with stunned incredulity, and Majima returned the expression with a confident smile, before turning back to continue looking over the monitors.

Clacking on the keyboard, he started bringing up cameras around the Millennium Tower area and the streets that led to it. As Haruka's eye in the sky, he had to make sure her path was clear.

And his expression dropped when he saw just what was waiting for her.

"Son of a bitch," Majima said as he pushed himself up out of his chair.

* * *

Haruka ran all the way from The Hills into Kamurocho proper and towards the Millennium Tower, and she didn't see a single other person on the way there.

The ominous nature of that fact buzzed in the back of her brain, like a slowly approaching power drill. Even at its least active, the streets of Kamurocho were never deserted like this.

As she approached the block surrounding the tower, however, she was given her reason why. There was a wall of black suits and black sunglasses blocking off the street. Men with visible, glinting yakuza badges stood shoulder to shoulder, hands behind their backs, forming a perimeter around the entire area.

Haruka narrowed her eyes as she approached. As she got closer, her hands wound tighter and tighter into solid fists. If it came down to it, she might need to punch her way through this wall. But just as she was about to make a run at them, two of the men stepped to the side. A gap was formed, one that Haruka could easily pass through, and then the men went back to not moving.

Haruka didn't let her guard down. She kept her fists at the ready as she slowly and cautiously made her way through. She awaited an ambush, but none came. The men at her side didn't move, didn't even look at her.

Once through, she continued to run.

She bolted around the corner and flew down the street, and as she approached the Tower's front entrance, she saw what exactly all these people were here for.

Lounging there on the lip of a flower bed was a very bored looking Daisaku Minami.

As soon as Haruka ran into vision, his eyes lit up.

"Fucking finally," Minami said. "I was wondering when the guest of honor would arrive. It's been a bitch of a party so far, the crowd is just dead."

"What are you talking about, Minami? What party?" Haruka scanned the plaza. She didn't see anyone outside of the wall of unmoving men. "Who else is here?"

"Here? Just you and me sweet cheeks. And all my boys of course. Aikawa's off doing his discipline thing. He's really into that accountability shit, you know how it is."

"And Matsushige?"

"Matsushige, yeah." Minami looked like he genuinely had to think to recall where Matsushige was. "I heard he was putting on this shindig. Haven't seen him anywhere around though. Like I said, real boring party." He looked back to Haruka. "But that's all changed now that you're here."

She groaned. "If you actually want to know, your brother's on the roof. And I need to meet with him, so you need to get out of my way."

Minami made a face halfway between a smirk and a scowl.

"That crusty old fuck? Listen here, Matsushige ain't anywhere close to being my bro. If you're calling us anything… Fancy term would be business associates. Less fancy term would be using each other to get what we want. Keep that in mind, huh."

"Then what do you want? Are you just here to get in my way? Use my desperation, get me to spill the beans on Taro, so you can get to him before Matsushige can?"

"'Course not." When Minami got close he began circling. Keeping his eyes locked on her, and forcing her in turn to follow his movements. "I already told you, I'm not out here to help Kuroda fight his dumbass war. I don't give a shit about Kitamura, I don't get a shit about our dips in revenue, or our underperforming recruitment numbers, the only thing I give a shit about is you. And your desperation, that's something I can definitely use."

"How about you get on with it already. I told you, I don't have time to mess around with you."

"It's really stunning that you haven't figured it out yet."

Minami reached behind his back and unsheathed a long dagger from his waistband.

"I'm just looking for a little excitement. Now come on Sawamura, let's get this party started."

Minami licked his lips, absentmindedly twirled the dagger in his hand, then his eyes flared open and he shot forward. Haruka, thoroughly unprepared for this, hastily jumped back into her stance and tried to ready herself as best she could for the fight that was on her now.

"Oy!"

The whole scene paused. Minami and Haruka looked at each other in brief confusion, then, when they realized neither of them had spoken, towards the source of the voice. His leather pants squeaked together as he stalked towards the scene, the lengthy, untied robe flapping behind him in the wind.

"Uncle Ma?"

"Boss?"

Goro Majima didn't stop to acknowledge either question.

"Thought I taught you better than this Minami," he said. "When a lady asks you kindly to step aside, ya' ought to listen to her. It's a matter of simple respect."

Minami appraised Majima with a curious, cocked head. Then, after straightening up, lifted his dagger and began cautiously approaching Majima instead. Majima responded by raising his fists. The two men, completely in sync, began circling each other at a seemingly preset distance.

"Thought you'd died old man. Don't tell me I'm seeing ghosts all the sudden."

"Might as well be. Felt like I've been rolling in my grave all these years, seeing how you've been treating my boys."

"Don't know what you're talking about. Majima Family's been thriving."

"Majima Family's been surviving. Big difference. Hard to die when you're so overstuffed."

"I fail to see the difference."

"Look closer next time you're at a mirror. I thought I brought you up to be better than this, and yet here you are. A pampered, overweight, untrained wild animal. Only reason they ain't kicked you out yet is cause they know you can just take your ball and go home."

"Ain't that what the life's all about? Doing whatever you want and fucking up anyone who tries to give you shit? I'm a free man now. Ain't got no bosses I need to listen to anymore. I control two-thirds the Clan's warforce and I pay twice my quota without breaking a sweat. Tojo Clan's mine now, old man. With all due respect, I'll do whatever the fuck I want with her."

"At the risk of sounding old…" Majima stopped to look away from Minami and towards Haruka. "Hey! What are you waiting for Harry? Get a move on already! I'm not talking for my health over here."

Haruka stepped back, shocked at being addressed, then nodded and darted into the building. Minami meanwhile, took advantage of losing Majima's attention for a split second.

Before Majima could turn back, Minami tackled him to the ground. He made to press the dagger against his throat but Majima had his hands up, holding him back and leaving the dagger to dangle just inches above. Majima pushed the momentum through, rolled across his back, and sent Minami flying off of him.

Minami landed on his feet and Majima rolled back onto his in the same amount of time. It took a second, but as he clenched a hand, Minami realized he wasn't holding the dagger anymore. Majima held it now, reverse grip.

Minami smirked despite himself. "Looks like it's up to me to put you back in the ground, huh."

He reached for his shoulder, and with one tug, ripped his suit and shirt off. Majima was given a full look at the Siddham character on his chest and the English characters on his stomach. On his back, a snake coiled around a flaming skull.

"Don't have too much fun with this. It's supposed to be a punishment after all."

Majima did the same, pulling the Florist robes off of him and revealing the hannya inked across his back, the snakes around his shoulders, and the blooming flowers that swarmed them.

The two of them stood there, scanning each other, attempting to guess the other's moves before they could be made.

And then Majima's hand flashed. The dagger flew forward, but Minami moved towards it. As he ran, he twisted his body, letting the dagger fly past his chest and snatching it out of the air as they passed. Minami moved into the motion, spinning around and swinging the dagger wide as Majima attempted to bridge the gap.

Majima dropped and slid, under the dagger and past Minami's legs. He aimed a kick into the back of Minami's knee and, as Minami dropped, swung a hook from the opposite side into his face. Minami hit the ground and Majima cartwheeled over him, stomping on his wrist a moment before his hand followed up and snatched the dagger from his grasp. The maneuver hadn't even ended when Majima fluidly stopped and jumped, swinging the dagger over his head and making to stab downward, following gravity.

Minami rolled out of the way and spun, leaving the dagger to ping uselessly off of the asphalt. He swung a kick low to send it skittering off across the pavement, and then spun around again to plant that same kick into Majima's face.

Minami clambered to his feet and ran for the dagger, Majima kicked off the tarmac and hit him with a leaping tackle that sent them both to the ground. Minami pushed through it, stretched his arms as far as they could reach and grab the dagger and swipe. Majima took a small cut across his face, but when Minami went for a second swipe, he brought his teeth down on the blade and stopped it dead right there. Majima popped Minami in the head with an elbow, freeing his grip just enough to pull the dagger back. Minami responded by sending a kick up into Majima's chin, forcing him to spit the dagger up high into the air.

The two got to their feet, took a brief moment to spot where the dagger was, and in the time before it landed, both aimed a right hook at the other's face.

* * *

The elevator dinged as Haruka was let out onto the roof of the Millennium Tower. Her breath was unsteady, her fists were shaking by her side, but if she wanted everyone to get through this, she needed to keep her composure.

She climbed the stairs up to the helipad. Amidst the yellow signage that fenced in the platform, there was a jet black helicopter sitting in its exact center. Just in front of it stood Matsushige, holding a pistol leveled at Haruto's head. Haruto looked terrified, he was squirming uncomfortably, but he wasn't struggling or pulling away from the hand held over his chest. Matsushige had probably told him at some point not to make any sudden moves.

But when he saw Haruka run up the steps, it seems he couldn't control himself.

"Mommy!" Haruto yelled, pulling against Matsushige's arm. It remained steadfast, but Haruka could see his hand tightening.

"Please don't move sweety," Haruka said, only barely keeping the waver out her voice. "Mommy's going to get you out of here. Okay?"

Haruto only responded by swallowing. Haruka could tell he'd already been crying. A lot. Quickly scanning the area, however, she couldn't find hide nor hair of Yuta. He'd been with them in the video, hadn't he?

She could feel the heat rising in her chest.

"You're early Sawamura," Matsushige said. "I'm impressed. You don't seem the type to respect proper scheduling, but it seems the right motivation can gift some civility to just about anyone."

"Let him go Matsushige!"

"After you give me Kitamura's location, I would be happy to."

Haruka took a step forward.

"Stop pointing that gun at my son!"

He pressed the barrel further into Haruto's temple.

"Not a step closer, Sawamura. Just tell me where Kitamura is, and this can all be over."

"I told you to stop pointing that gun at him! I'm the one you want. I'm the thorn in your side. If you're going to point a gun at someone, point it at me."

Matsushige paused, considering her offer. His eyes narrowed, only barely, but narrowed all the same.

"Very well." He moved the pistol to point directly at Haruka. "If you fail to give me Kitamura's location I'll kill you and then the child. Since you insist on being such a coward to want to die before him."

As soon as the gun was pointed safely away from Haruto, Haruka began to walk forward.

"I said not a step further, Sawamura."

Haruka didn't stop.

Matsushige pulled the trigger, Haruka caught the bullet in her shoulder. Haruto cried out. She pushed through it. She forced herself to push through it. She didn't stop for a second as she continued to approach Matsushige.

He pulled the trigger again. This one buried in her gut. Haruka doubled over slightly, but her legs wouldn't stop moving. She moved forward with as much power and intent as she could muster.

He pulled the trigger again. A bullet whizzed past her face, grazing her cheek and slicing it. Haruka paused, stopped just long enough to understand the implication of that bullet's trajectory, what would have happened if it had flown a few inches to the left.

That pause was all Matsushige needed. He mashed the barrel of the gun back against Haruto's head. Haruto winced slightly from both the impact and the heat of the still smoking gun, but stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving Haruka. That stopped her in her tracks.

For the first time since she'd met him, Matsushige looked truly panicked. His breathing was deep and rapid, his eyes had gone as wide as they could go, and when he spoke, he spoke between gasps of air and clenched teeth.

"Not… another… step… you monster."

Haruka cursed at herself in her mind. She was feet away from Matsushige now. If she had been just a little closer, she could've reached him. The bullets in her shoulder and stomach were beginning to sear.

"Now I will ask one last time… and if you continue to refuse to answer me… I will put a bullet in this child's skull."

Haruka's entire body tensed up. She wanted nothing more than to pummel Matsushige into the ground, but every sensible thought still left in her brain forced her to stay still.

"Where…"

Haruka blinked. From just behind Matsushige came something… unexpected. She had to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Is…"

A crimson red fire extinguisher hovered just behind him, held with two hands over somebody's head.

"Kitamur-"

Impact. It was sharp and loud. The extinguisher was brought down over Matsushige's head. He stumbled forward, not out just yet, but now just close enough for Haruka to dart forward and send a haymaker crashing into his face.

Matsushige hit the ground, the pistol clattering out of his limp hand. Standing behind him, still holding the red fire extinguisher, was Yuta.

Haruka was so stunned by his sudden appearance that she couldn't even bring herself to say anything to him, not until he rushed forward and scooped her into a tight hug. Haruka hesitated only a moment before returning it. And when Haruto ran up to them he was brought into the hug as well.

For a minute Haruka did nothing but hold her family close. For just that minute, she felt like she could breathe again.

When they finally broke apart, Yuta kneeled down to check on Haruto. Haruka would've joined him, but her injuries were starting to get to her.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I… I'm – fine."

Haruto was hesitant in his responses. His gaze was distant. The poor boy couldn't stop shaking. Haruka knew what he was going through. Of logically knowing that the danger had passed but being unable to assure yourself that you were safe now.

Yuta brought him in for another hug. In that motion, Haruka also saw a bit of the momentary relief she felt now.

But – Yuta was here. Yuta was here?

"How did you-" she started to ask. "Where did you-"

"I was tied up in the basement. No idea why they tossed my down there, and it took me a second to get out, but I heard something was going on up on the roof. I uh… I had to take the stairs. Probably would've gotten here sooner without that." Yuta turned to Haruka in earnest, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But- But what about you? What are you doing here? Why did that guy want you, who's Kitamura, what's going on?"

"I'll explain later. I promise I will, but for right now we need to get off of this tower."

As if on cue, the elevator gave off a soft ding from the edge of the building. Haruka and Yuta turned towards it in synchronicity. A dozen low ranking yakuza rushed out and up towards them.

Haruka and Yuta both instinctively fell back into their fighting stances. Yuta glanced over at her.

"You want to lead or should I?"

"I've been fighting these guys for longer."

"But I taught you everything about how to fight."

One of the yakuza, having no apparent patience for their talking, rushed forward and swung a hook at Yuta. Yuta ducked the swing and as the yakuza followed through Haruka vaulted off Yuta's back and sent him to the ground with a flying roundhouse.

"I know a lot more than you think I do," she said.

He gave a soft smile, then nodded back.

* * *

Majima was dancing on his toes. Minami had the dagger now and was pushing the advantage with continuous rapid swipes. The kid had definitely tightened up his form since Majima was away. Back when he was in charge, Majima could spot an opening you could drive a truck through and have Minami on his back in a second. Now though, those same openings were few and far between and much, much smaller. Or maybe Majima was just getting old.

Majima hopped back just far enough into the road to kick a traffic cone into his hands. As Minami went in for an overhead slash, he held the cone up in both hands, stopping the metal blade with thick rubber. With Minami's momentum lost, Majima spun, swinging the cone back and slapping Minami across the face with it. Minami staggered back and Majima grabbed onto the dagger's hilt before launching a kick into his gut, knocking him back and wrenching the dagger out of his grip.

It was Majima's turn to press the advantage now. He leapt forward with a wide, diagonal slash, forcing Minami to lean backwards, then followed it up with a jumping hurricane kick that caught Minami in his side. Majima landed on his knees, but used what reach he had to stab forward at Minami's gut. Minami recovered remarkably quickly and jumped sideways, letting the knife soar under his arm as his shoulder flew into Majima's face, carrying him back and slamming him into the ground.

Minami snatched the dagger from Majima's grip and in one fluid motion stabbed it back towards his gut. Majima pulled his legs up, folding himself and half and letting the dagger fly just past him, then used his hands to spring forward, slamming his heels into Minami's jaw.

Minami staggered back as Majima landed on his feet. He slapped the dagger out of Minami's hand with a roundhouse, sending it spinning into a street lamp. The hilt of the dagger hit and ricocheted the whole thing back towards Majima, where he snatched it out of air. He waisted not a second more, rushing in and holding the dagger up high.

And then a gunshot rang out across the plaza.

Minami felt just as confused as Majima looked when he slumped to the ground, blood oozing out of the fresh hole in his back. Standing behind him, just beginning to lower his smoking pistol, was Sho Aikawa.

Minami's breathing was ragged as his brow furrowed and he took in just what had happened.

"The fuck did you do?" He snapped towards Aikawa. "The fuck did you do!?"

"The fuck did I do? The fuck were you doing? You know who this is right?"

"Know who the fuck this is, yeah I know my old boss, that's Goro fuckin' Majima, did you know that?"

"Course I fuckin' did, that's why I shot him! He killed a Tojo Chairman, he's been at the top of the most wanted list for 6 fuckin' years now. You're lucky I don't rat your ass out for being a traitor over you not killing him when you had the chance."

"Fuckin shot him… right in the fuckin' back."

"Hey." Aikawa snapped his fingers in front of Minami's face. "Would you snap out of it? You didn't make it this far in the yakuza and without killing anybody. Now focus and help me get-"

Minami shot forward and slammed his fist into Aikawa's gut. Aikawa doubled over, taken by complete surprise, and in his shock the gun fell from his grip.

Minami snatched it out of the air and without a moment's hesitation, leveled it at Aikawa's chest and fired.

Aikawa wasn't even given the chance to hit the ground before Minami unloaded the rest of the clip into his body. Shot after shot rang out through the dead quiet air surrounding the Millennium Tower. Flash after flash illuminated the rage on Minami's face. Stray drops of blood splattered across his pant legs as he made sure to get as close as possible when he fired.

Minami kept pulling the trigger long after the clip emptied and nothing but quiet clicks escaped from the pistol's muzzle. And when he got tired of firing air into the man he chucked the gun at his head, where it bounced off and Aikawa's neck offered no resistance when it lolled off to the side.

Minami brushed the stray strands of hair out of his face and stalked away from the scene.

"Ruin my fuckin' fight."


	20. Chapter 15: What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Haruka hit the closest yakuza with a hook and an uppercut and he went down. Yuta grabbed another one around the waist and Haruka launched a roundhouse into the back of his head, he slumped over slightly, and Yuta followed through, throwing his head back and catching his chin with his skullcap.

Haruka hadn't seen her husband in so long, but they still fought in complete synchronicity. When Haruka juked, Yuta followed through. When Yuta stunned one of them, Haruka capitalized. It was a flurry of fists, legs, and elbows that tore through most of the yakuza before they could launch any kind of proper offensive. The last one took a hook from Haruka and then a straight kick to his chest from Yuta and when he stumbled back against the elevator door the both of them slammed their fists into his head so hard his skull left a small crater in the metal.

Haruka pulled her fist back and shook the sting out as Yuta pressed the elevator call button.

Haruto ran over to join them as the elevator gave a soft ding and the doors opened up. Haruka couldn't help but lean down and scoop him up into her arms as they ran in. He clung to her as tightly as he could.

Yuta mashed the ground floor button as fast and hard as he could get away with before breaking the thing. Eventually the doors closed and Haruka, Haruto, and Yuta began their slow decent.

All eyes were glued to the floor number as it began counting down from 60. It was a smooth ride down for most of the trip. Not a bump or a rattle, the elevator was working precisely as it always did. At least until, at around floor 10, the entire cabin lurched. Haruka fell against the back wall, keeping a tight hold on Haruto. Yuta stumbled but rushed forward and began prying the elevator doors apart with his hands. Fortunately, they had stopped right under an exit, and after Yuta pried both sets of doors open he was able to climb out. Unfortunately, the elevator was beginning to sway with an uncomfortable imbalance.

Twisting her legs into the unsteady floor beneath her, Haruka grounded herself and tossed Haruto, sending him sailing right through both sets of doors and into Yuta's arms where he was quickly placed onto safe and solid ground.

Dozens of feet above, something snapped. And the elevator began to fall. Haruka had less than a second to run forward and push off as the ground underneath her gave out.

Haruka flew. She slipped out the elevator's doors as it fell back and plummeted past her, crashing a dozen stories below, nothing beneath her now but an empty elevator shaft. Her hands reached out, searching for purchase, reaching to try and grab any part of the exit door leading into the building.

They missed.

She fell.

And then she grabbed onto something.

Her hand wrapped around Yuta's arm. He was squatting over the lip of the exit door and leaning back as far as he could to stop from falling into the elevator shaft himself.

Slowly and carefully however, Yuta was able to get Haruka close enough to pull herself out onto the 10th floor.

Both Haruka and Yuta sat there, attempting to catch their breaths and nearly laughing when they made eye contact. But within the minute, a door crashed open somewhere on their floor and a dozen more yakuza goons were rushing down the hall towards them. With their break cut short, Haruka and Yuta both got to their feet and took their stances.

The first one to reach them was promptly slammed into the wall by Yuta's elbow. The next three came in a wave that wouldn't be so easily dispersed. Haruka and Yuta took a few steps away from each other, not willing to get surrounded when the flood hit. Haruka handled the guy on the right, a haymaker and an uppercut put him on the ground. Meanwhile, Yuta got the guy on the left, he slammed his head against the banister and then was sent to the ground with a knee to the temple for good measure. They then came back together, and both aimed a roundhouse at the middle guy's head, catching him with a strike from either side. He stood standing for just a moment after both of them retracted their legs, then slumped to the floor.

And yet more came. Yuta took the lead, diving into the crowd with a few lunges that sent the guys staggering back a little. Haruka motioned behind her for Haruto to follow which he did in an instant, scurrying up behind her. One of the yakuza broke from the pack, apparently seeing the kid as an easy target. Haruka grabbed a nearby potted ficus by the trunk, swung it at the yakuza, and shattered the ceramic pot over his head. She grabbed Haruto by his hand and made a run for it.

One of the yakuza stepped forward, blocking the way to the stairs. Haruka instinctually urged Haruto to move back, but before she could even take her stance, Yuta charged out of the crowd and tackled the guy off of his feet. Haruka didn't have a moment to lose, she and Haruto burst through the door and into the stairwell. Yuta came in a moment later and slammed the door shut behind him. With his back to the door, already holding back a pounding from the other side that juttered him forward every second, he reached over to grab a fire extinguisher kept on the wall by the door and jammed the door with it, tying the hose around the handle.

After taking a step back to ensure that it would hold, for now, the three of them rushed down the stairs.

Set after set, Haruka wasn't really in a headspace to actually count. All she could do was madly pull her family down this tower as fast as possible.

She was moving too fast. She didn't realize there was a guard hanging out by the door until they were coming on it. He moved forward to intercept them, pulling a walkie-talkie out of his back pocket. He managed to get out "They-" before Haruka vaulted over the guardrail and slammed her heel into the side of his face.

She wasn't fast enough, however. She could hear doors slamming open on the floors below and heavy footfalls rushing up to meet them. Haruka lunged for the closest door, yanking it open and urging Yuta and Haruto through there. She noticed upon leaving the plaque on the side, inscribed with the number 3. The exit was on floor 2. They were so close.

Exiting onto the third floor, Haruka was met with a tiled hallway of sorts stretching before her, a wall to her right and a guardrail protecting from open air that led all the way down to the first floor on her left. The bottom five floors all had a massive square cut out of them, only being walkable along the perimeter with small offices scattered about.

Men in black were already converging over the floor. Haruka ran forward, only one pathway out in her mind. She charged at the open-air space, vaulted over the guardrail, and kept her grip tight on it to swing back around and land on the second floor just below. As soon as she landed, she backed right back up against the guardrail and leaned against it, holding her arms open.

"I'll catch Haruto," she called up. "Drop him to me."

Both Yuta and Haruto mirrored worried expressions.

"Please," Haruka insisted. "Trust me. I will catch you Haruto. Everything's going to be alright, I promise."

Haruto chewed on his lip, but quickly lifted his arms to allow Yuta to pick him up. He did, after taking stock of the yakuza rushing towards him at that exact moment, and as gingerly as he could, dangled Haruto over the guardrail. He got him as low down as he could before letting go. Haruto let out a scream as he fell those last several feet, just hearing it hurt, but she couldn't let herself lose focus for even a second. She caught Haruto with her chest, took him into her arms, and then immediately let him down onto solid ground.

And then she noticed the bald man rushing her with a crowbar. Haruka shifted, moved her shoulders to prepare to block a strike from hitting Haruto and mount at least some kind of counter.

But then Yuta swung in from above, smashing his boot into the man's nose and sending him stumbling backwards. Haruka wasted no time, letting go of Haruto and dashing forward to drive an elbow into his throat. His grip loosened enough that she was able to wrench the crowbar from his grasp and swing it at the back of his head, sending the guy forward where he near immediately met Yuta's knee and collapsed to the ground.

Haruka looked around. The floor was empty. The path out was clear. As soon as her legs could be brought back under control she grabbed Haruto by the wrist and ran for the exit. Yuta pulled ahead of them and took the extra time to wrench the automatic doors open.

Haruka, Yuta, and Haruto burst out into cold night air. In the clear, at least for now, or at least that's what Haruka felt like.

An odd scent hit Haruka's nose. Blunt. Metallic. Horrifying. She scanned the environment and saw two bodies lying on the ground in front of the tower. The closest one was Aikawa in his navy blue suit, unstaring eyes pointed straight up, mouth lolling open with blood streaming out from between his lips.

The other body, just past it, shirtless and face down, was unmistakably… "Uncle Ma?"

Haruka let go of Haruto's hand, felt it slip from her grasp, as she ran forward.

"Uncle Ma!"

"Mommy!"

"Haruka!"

It all happened so fast. Something hit her midsection. Her feet left the ground. She flew through the air, but something kept a hold on her. She hit the window wall of the Millennium Tower and glass shattered around her. She kept going, falling through the empty space and down through to the first floor a story below.

And then she hit the ground with her back. The wind knocked out of her, all she could do was look up. Look up and see the insane grin of Daisaku Minami.

Pure rage lit within Haruka, driving her strength, balling her fist, and sending it crashing into Minami's face. He was sent sprawling off of her and onto the ground several feet away, but already pushing himself to his feet. Haruka pushed herself up as well.

"You killed him!" she spat.

"That's right!" he yelled back. "I killed Majima! And I'll kill your boy toy too! And your little brat and that bitch at the bar and you and everyone you care about, unless you stop me right fucking here! Give me your all Sawamura! It's the only chance you'll get!"

Haruka roared and tore her jacket away. Her ponytail fell, twisting and writhing down to the small of her back, like a dragon in flight.

Minami beckoned her to him, and Haruka didn't have any thoughts left in her head to be skeptical. She rushed forward. Slammed a fist into his gut. He buckled. She grabbed him by the collarbone so he couldn't get away and laid blow after blow after blow into his face.

She was getting a hateful, furious rhythm going when Minami's hand finally shot up, catching Haruka's fist in his palm.

"Come on Sawamura," he said through all the blood in his mouth. "I said your all. You're not gonna stop me like this."

He grabbed Haruka's arm and twisted, spinning her around. He kicked at her far leg, forcing it down to the knee, then pulled the arm back, bringing her body taut. He kicked at her other leg, but there was no room for it to bend so it just took the brunt of the hit. With a mad cackle, Minami kicked at her again.

Before he could go for three, Haruka had enough. The pain pushed her forward. She pulled with her twisted arm, driving the force through her hips and drawing from every ounce of energy in her body. She pulled at him until his footing gave way and she threw him to the ground.

Haruka wasted no time, she straddled Minami's chest and laid into his face again. He wanted her all, she'd give him all she had. Her muscles strained under the force of each swing, the blows sending spittle and blood flying feet away from the two of them. At some point Haruka couldn't tell if it was from his mouth or her knuckles. One hit nearly knocked his head sideways on his neck, and she thought that would be enough to put him down, but in the next instant he looked back up at her with a smile, his hand shooting up and latching onto her face.

With a single shove, Haruka was the one on the ground with Minami kneeling over her. With a hand still wrapped around her face, he lifted her up and slammed her head back into the tiling over and over and over. She could feel the floor cracking beneath her.

Her arm shot up, limply attempting to mirror how he'd managed to reverse the situation before, but Minami slapped the arm down, grabbed Haruka by the shoulders, and slammed his head into hers. Haruka's world went black for just a moment. Without sight she struggled, desperate to give Minami even a second of pause. She lashed out, blindly, with the only thing she had.

Haruka's mouth snapped open, her head jut forward, and she bit down. There she found flesh.

As Haruka's vision returned she saw a bewildered Minami staring back down at her while her teeth clamped around his nose. He tried to pull back, but she found solid purchase on the metal studs along the sides.

He had a second to flash a look of fear, and then Haruka pulled. Blood filled her mouth as she dragged the studs down and away from him. Minami retracted, sitting up straight, and that was the opportunity Haruka needed. She rocked his cheek with a hook, no real leverage but enough force to get him off of her.

He stumbled back, not losing his footing fully but thrown off balance. He touched at his nose, felt the torn flesh of his nostril, and then laughed in disbelief.

Haruka pushed herself to her face, glaring daggers into him, wiped the blood off her mouth and spit. The little ball of silver hit the ground and clattered against the linoleum.

"That's more like it." Minami rushed in again. He was soaking up Haruka's hits, she couldn't hope to overpower him. All she could do was wear him down. Exploit weaknesses. Not get trapped.

Haruka put her hands up and bounced on her toes.

Minami came in with a straight right to her face, she weaved to the side and landed two quick gutshots then pulled back out of range. He threw out a hook, Haruka ducked it, hooked a finger into one of his earrings, gave it a yank and pulled his face right into her punch. He staggered back, she kept her stance up.

Minami let out another short laugh, a spittle of free-flowing blood spattered from his lips. He didn't seem to care about the stream running directly into his mouth.

Minami threw out a lunge, long and strong, she had all the time in the world to counter, throwing a jab into his nose. Minami took the hit, not flinching to the crunching bone underneath Haruka's knuckles, and grabbed at her wrist. With a flick he spun her around and slammed her face into a stone pillar. With a swift kick, his knee dug into her back, sending a crackling up her spine. Haruka kicked back, her foot hit his kneecap and he howled from behind her. With just a little bit more maneuverable space, she kicked back again, this time planting her foot square in his gut.

He was back out, she had room to breathe. Haruka spun around, building momentum and landing it in a haymaker across his face. He barely staggered, countering with a hook that sent Haruka to the floor.

She could feel herself running ragged. There wasn't much left in her. She inched forward on her elbows. Idly she noticed her jacket laying on the floor, not too far away. It'd be nice to have that now. She was starting to feel very cold.

"Pathetic." Minami punctuated his insult with flecks of blood across her back and a kick to her ribs. She winced. "You can use every dirty trick in the book, but you're still not stronger than me. I'm goddamn disappointed Sawamura, you were supposed to be strong. Strong like your daddy. But this, shit's just pathetic."

Another kick rolled Haruka onto her back. She stared up, breathing heavily. His form silhouetted against the blaring artificial lights above them. She could already see him tensing up, rearing back.

He was right. She wasn't stronger than him. This guy was crazy. But she couldn't let him win, she had to beat him. There had to be a way for both these things to be true, right? If she couldn't, then she would… Yuta and Haruto and all of them would-

Minami brought his leg up and swung it down towards Haruka's face.

She rolled to the side, letting it hit the floor, and then slammed into it with all the weight she could muster. He fell and the two of them rolled. When they came to a stop, he was on top of her, both of them face up. Haruka reached her hand out and grabbed at her jacket. She flung it towards her, slinging it around Minami's neck, and then grabbed either end and pulled as hard as she could. Minami sputtered in surprise, gagging on what air he had left. His bloodied fingers scrambled to pull at the cloth around his throat, but as Haruka put her full weight behind it, they didn't find purchase, and each movement was less coordinated than the last. Minami thrashed and struggled, tried to pull the both of them up, but doing so only tightened the pressure on his neck and forced him back down.

Haruka sat under him, refusing to buckle under his wild elbows and kicks. Took the brunt of his haphazardly swinging shoulders and hips. For a full minute she endured the last of his struggles, before his body eventually went still, and then limp.

Haruka gave it another few seconds before she let the jacket go taut again. He was still breathing. She stood up. He didn't. No fake outs. Not yet at least.

She gave his head a kick for good measure. He didn't move.

Good enough. Haruka slung her jacket over her shoulder and trudged away from his still body. The escalators leading back up were turned off. She shifted the small caution signs blocking them and walked up. Up the escalator like they were stairs.

She exited onto the second floor, where ground level was for the front entrance. She went towards it. The yakuza from earlier was still there, still unconscious. She went past him. Past him and out the door.

"Haruka? Haruka!" Yuta immediately rushed to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She gave him a brief hug back but continued to walk. His grip loosened, confused, and he just watched her go.

Down the stairs to where he lay. Goro Majima in a pool of blood. She sank to her knees in front of him and turned him over. Tears started forming at her eyes. Jolts of emotion rocked her shoulders as she tried to hold it all back.

"…Hey Harry…" Majima croaked out.

Haruka's breath caught in her chest. She immediately went to him, holding his head up. "Uncle Ma? Uncle Ma!" She turned to Yuta. "Call an ambulance, we can still save him."

"I already did," he said back.

"Harry, please." Majima seemed to be having trouble speaking any louder. "I got some important shit to tell you."

Haruka turned back to him. "You're going to be fine. Uncle Ma, you're going to be fine."

"Listen to me, Harry. Dying speeches, they're a load of horseshit. All of them. Some poor sap who ain't ready to go yet, he wants to feel important, wants to have one last impact on the world cause that's all he gets. Doesn't actually mean anything cause it's someone rushing to say something insightful. Never is though… Except for this one. This one is something you really gotta hear."

"You're not dying Uncle Ma."

"Harry please. It's important." He coughed. Flecks of blood shot from his mouth. "You are the most tenacious, most headstrong, most unstoppable person I've met since the big guy himself. You're your father's daughter, I see him in you in a lot of ways. But you don't need to inherit his battles too. Use that bottomless well of determination to be with the ones you love. If you stay here, if you decide to stay in their world, you'll find yourself pushing them all away. For their own good you'll say. To keep them safe you'll say. It's what I did. It's what he did too."

"I-" Haruka choked on her words. She blinked some tears out of her eyes. "I don't understand."

"Your Uncle Kaz… your Kazuma Kiryu was a great man Haruka. But he made mistakes, a lot of 'em. Did a lot of thinking with his heart instead of his head. He pushed you out. He thought it was for your own good. He wanted to fight his war alone and that's how he went out. Don't make yourself be like him, Haruka. Don't feel like you have to."

Haruka had no words left in her chest. Her hands were shaking violently, try as they might to keep steady under Majima.

He held a hand towards Haruka. In it was his dagger, held by the blade.

Haruka looked between Majima's face and the knife.

"Take it," he said.

"I- I can't. You need this. Majima you need this you're not going to die."

"Take it."

"Uncle Ma please."

"Harry. If I go before you take this knife…"

Haruka swallowed. A trembling hand rose up and gripped the digger by its hilt. Majima smiled.

"I can't wait to find him on the other side," he said. "I bet ol' Kazzy's gone soft while he's been away."

With that, his head fell back, and his eye went distant.

"Uncle Ma?"

Haruka shook him by the shoulders. His neck offered no resistance. Not a single muscle tensed.

"Uncle Ma! Majima!"

She shook his body harder. Looked for any reaction she could find and found none.

"Majima!" Haruka's yell echoed around the dead, uncaring streets of Kamurocho.

The whole world sat in destitute silence, absolute stillness, for that one moment. Then, very slowly, an arm moved around Haruka's shoulders. She looked up. Yuta looked back at her, looking as pained as she felt.

Not a word was exchanged, but the two of them in that moment stood up. Yuta took Haruto's hand. The three of them left, down the steps, away from the Millennium Tower.

In the distance, Haruka heard sirens.

In the distance, Haruka heard a phone ring.

Out of sheer instinct she checked her pockets, but it wasn't her phone. It was too far away.

She looked back. A small light shone from one of the jackets laying across the concrete. A vest, charcoal gray in the front, jet black in the back. Someone was calling Minami.

Haruka's brow furrowed. She swallowed hard. And she broke from Yuta, moving back towards the Tower.

When she got to the jacket on the floor she immediately knelt down and began rummaging through the pockets until her fingers found the smooth shell of a smartphone. She pulled it out. The caller was one Ichiro Touma. Haruka answered it.

"Boss? Boss! Boss are you there? It was a trap? That Sawamura, she must've set us up, he's here. At HQ, he's-" A loud, sharp bang filled the phone's receiver. After that, Ichiro didn't say anything. Haruka hung up with shaking hands.

"Haruka?" Yuta asked. "What's going on?"

She looked up at them. Saw Yuta, concern plastered across his face, and Haruto, on the verge of tears. The both of them stared at her, waiting for an answer.

She took a deep breath.

"I'll explain later. Meet me at New Serena."

And she ran. Past Yuta and Haruto, out into the streets of Kamurocho. Her eyes scanned the streets for every sign of yellow. Breaking onto one of the main roads, she spotted a parked taxi, and immediately ran to it.

Without even waiting for the driver's acknowledgement she flung the door open and jumped into the backseat.

"Woah woah woah," the driver said. "What the hell lady?"

"I need you to take me to the Tojo Clan's headquarters, as fast as you can."

He looked at her in the rearview mirror. She could see herself there too, covered in bruises and bloodstains.

"300% tip if you can make it there without any questions."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but within the next second, he was fastening his seatbelt, flicking off the sign on top of the cab, and pulling out onto the street.

The drive to Tojo HQ was the longest 20 minutes of Haruka's life. She sat in utter silence, the driver fulfilling his part of the bargain and refusing to ask any questions. She watched the lights of the city flash by in a blur, and quietly wondered what was going on.

When they finally reached their destination, the cab couldn't even come to a complete stop before Haruka burst from it and charged at the building.

"Wait here," she quickly shouted to the driver as she crossed through the front gates.

The scene was that of a massacre. Black-suited bodies were strewn across the courtyard, some had visible injuries, others just sat with dark stains in their suits. A few unlucky ones had bullet holes in less inconspicuous places. Haruka pushed them out of her mind and ran.

The inside of the HQ wasn't fairing much better. Patches of the red carpet were stained darker than usual with dozens of bodies thrown everywhere, lying across the floor, draped across banisters, slumped against the wall. Despite this, the decorations didn't seem to be disturbed in the slightest, sat prettily around the space like nothing was wrong. This hadn't been a brawl, this had been a slaughter.

Up the stairs, through hallways of knocked out, dead, and dying soldiers, Haruka made her way to the big oak double doors of the chairman's meeting room. The doors themselves had been flung wide open, so even before entering, Haruka saw what was inside. The room was empty save for one man. At the far end, in his leather armchair, sunglasses dangling just slightly down the bridge of his nose, a hole drilled cleanly through the center of his forehead, was Kazuhiro Kuroda, Seventh Chairman of the Tojo Clan.

Haruka crept closer to the body, like she needed to inspect it any further. He was clearly dead. A stream of blood trickled down his face, between his eyes. No other injuries, just a single bullet to the head.

Haruka heard a ruffle of something behind her. She spun on her heels just in time to see the tail end of someone running out of the room. She immediately gave chase.

"Stop!" she yelled at him fruitlessly. At every corner she just barely saw the last of this stranger disappearing, only giving her a guide of where to go next. Back through empty corridors, through the building's inner workings and moving towards the front exit. By the time Haruka entered the foyer he was already at the bottom of the stairs.

No time to waste then, Haruka leaped from the banister and landed painfully just behind him. He was taller than her, much taller, and bulky as all hell, wearing a suit as simple and black as the assorted bodies scattered around the building. She thought she recognized his figure and his wavy brown hair, but she couldn't be sure, she didn't want to be sure, until she grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face her and saw his broad features.

"…Hey Haruka," Taro Kitamura said.

"T- Taro? What… What the hell?"

He sighed. "I really wanted you to not get involved with this part."

"What does that mean? Taro!"

He brushed past her and went out the door. She ran to keep pace with him.

The courtyard looked very different than it had a minute ago. What had once been filled with nothing by unmoving bodies now held a crowd of very much alive individuals. Standing at the far end, in front of a swarm of black cars, each wearing a black suit with a noticeable golden pin.

Haruka put a hand out to stop Taro. He brushed it aside without issue and walked towards the crowd.

It was then that Haruka noticed, the car in the center of the swarm had two flags on its front. She recognized the insignia. It wasn't the Tojo Clan's symbol, it was the Omi Alliance's.

"No…" she whispered to herself.

As Taro approached the crowd, they, in perfect unison, split down the middle to grant him access to the car with the flags. As he walked past, each man bowed their head low, hands on their knees. A single word came from each pair of lips, unmistakable even from a distance.

"Chairman."

"Chairman."

"Chairman."

Taro entered into the backseat of the car with the flags. The crowd of men straightened back up and dispersed, each going to one of the other cars in the swarm. Each sputtering to life and then driving away.

The car with the flags was all that was left now. From the window, Haruka saw Taro look directly towards her. His expression impossible to read. He shrugged and rolled the window up.

And the last car drove off into the night.


	21. Chapter 16: Smoke Break

Haruka gave deep, heavy breaths. With a lit cigarette between her teeth, every exhale sent smoke out into the chill night air. Deep breaths to calm her down. Nicotine to ease her nerves.

She was standing two stories above New Serena, on the building's roof. Yuta, Haruto, and Date were hanging out in the bar below her. She'd told them a little bit. Enough to catch them up to speed on what had happened these past few days. But right now, Haruka just wanted to be alone. Over the guardrail she got a good view of the bright lights of Kamurocho. Bright lights and empty streets. Whatever Minami had done to clear the city out, it was apparently still in effect. If one were to just look at it, you might call it a peaceful moment for the normally chaotic city.

Listening as she was, however, Haruka only heard anarchy. Gone was the cover of partygoers and happy drunks, the city was laid bare for what it truly was. Sirens blared from every corner. The only voices that could be heard now were screams. Screams of hatred, screams of fear, screams of anguish, screams of revenge. Gunshots rang out often, she knew there were no cars here to backfire now, and no slots being played. It could only be the sound of dozens of lives being stolen as the ripples of what had happened tonight spread through the city.

Haruka could only guess what happened, but she had a pretty good idea. Minami and Matsushige had been arrested. Aikawa and Kuroda were dead. The Tojo was without leadership, and no one left had been set to fill the vacuum.

So instead, the remaining scraps of the Tojo tore itself apart. Family leaders were killing one another, desperate for the spots and terrified that their brothers would take it from them at this critical opportunity. With the infrastructure falling apart, those lower on the totem pole, those with nothing to lose, might start making rash decisions. If the organization is crumbling, maybe it's time to abandon ship and start a new one. If the leadership is dying, who will be there to punish them if they sell out what remains? If this lifeline is now gone, what is their promise of safety now worth? And of course, if those who disagreed with their actions found out, they might do something rash in return to prevent it from happening. They would try and hang on to the order while it still lasted, by any means necessary.

And that was to say nothing of those who staked their life on this clan who would decide to give in and pay up now.

For every act of violence that Haruka could hear, there must be a dozen done in the quiet. Muffled by the shadow, with whispered methods and silent resolution.

The Tojo Clan was deeply interconnected with Kamurocho, these two entities shared a life essence. And through it, through Kamurocho's dead streets, Haruka could feel the Tojo itself dying as well.

Haruka hated Kamurocho. She hated the Tojo too.

But this felt wrong.

Deep, heavy breaths.

Sharp footsteps rang out against the metal fire escape behind her. She turned around expecting to see Yuta or Date, come to interrogate more information out of her. Instead, however, Taro was standing there.

Haruka's efforts to calm herself were wasted in that second. As rage infected her body, her breathing went quick, her heartrate sped up. She dropped her cigarette on the ground and immediately threw a right hook to his face. He let it follow through without buckling in the slightest.

"Yeah, I deserve that."

Left hook. No more of a response. Right. Left. Right.

Taro wiped a small drop of blood from his lip.

"You good?"

"What are you doing here? Come to kill me next?"

Taro gave a single chuckle, not much in a laughing mood past that. "Shoot one guy in the head and all the sudden people think you're a serial killer."

"It was more than one guy."

"Fine. Why do you even care about them?" He shook the thought out of his head. "No, sorry, I'm here cause you deserve to know the truth. After all you did for me, after how much you put your life at stake, you deserve to know."

"Now you're telling the truth? And that story about buying your way out, that was a lie, right? Complete bullshit?"

"Starting with the hard one, huh? I mean, it wasn't a complete lie. The guy with the shop, he was a real guy. He was a real guy that I really killed. It taught me a lot about the value of a human life, that it's not something to rob from someone without good reason. Do you think the people there were like him, that they didn't deserve it?"

"You're trying to take the moral high ground on people who are the exact same as you."

"No, no, you're right. The older captains in the Alliance, they always tell me to keep it about business. Don't get distracted by all the emotions that come with it. Just business then, how about that?"

"The business of misery, maybe."

"You're the one who just said we're on an even level. Two equally despicable rivals trying our damnedest to murder each other. And in the end, I won. It's just how things work."

"But why me? Why did I have to be involved? Why did you drag me away from my life and into this, Taro?"

Taro sighed. "The Tojo is… they're… look there's no two ways around it, they're a powder keg. Self-destructive in the worst ways with violent personalities rising to the top and legitimate businessmen being better off just doing legitimate business. They've been on a down spiral for damn near 20, maybe 30 years because of it. Yet they just won't die. You know why that is?"

"Don't tell me it's tenacity."

"Ha. Nothing so abstract. It's pretty simple really. It's your old man."

"…Kiryu."

"The Dragon of Dojima himself. Every couple years, the Tojo gets up to something boneheaded that should mean the end for them, but every time Kiryu comes out of nowhere to pull them back together. Keep this sinking ship afloat. The Omi have been waiting for this to happen ever since he passed 6 years ago. Surprised it took this long honestly. At least, that's my understanding of it. You and me, we were kids for most of this, though I suppose you were well acquainted with the situation anyways."

Haruka didn't have a response to that, but solemnly nodded in agreement.

"Now, the Tojo may be a powder keg but the pilot light couldn't just be any old thing. We need an explosion that'll spread the ashes so far that they can't pick the pieces back up, you know? Way to do that is to build up pressure from every side. Part of it's easy, the yakuza aren't quite so popular nowadays, not with civilians or the cops. The Omi have been hit with it too, the bad turnover rates, high incarceration, the pressure's on all of us. Another part is simply the act of a legitimate business muscling in on their territory. Or, at least, seemingly legitimate. See, the trick to tearing the Tojo apart is to make them think they're in trouble, regardless of if they actually are or not. If they feel compelled to do something, nine times out of ten they'll pick the wrong move."

"And my involvement forced them to make a choice."

"Exactly. All that stuff puts the right amount of pressure on them, but the actual pilot light? That's you. The Tojo are worried, they're on the eve of destruction, and they, like you and me, think back. 'How did we always get through this kind of thing before?' they say. The answer of course, is Kiryu. It's always Kiryu. But they don't have Kiryu anymore, so both of us start looking for the next best thing. I know they're keeping tabs on me, looking for any way to take me down. I lead them to you, and the fuse is lit. Course, anyone who knows you knows you'd never go along with them, which is precisely why they take the bait hook, line, and sinker."

"You couldn't have possibly known all this would happen from the very beginning."

"This specifically? No. But I think the results of the experiment prove the hypothesis. In the mad scramble to get to you, and to get to me, their entire leadership was taken out in one night. And because of the severe power imbalance they've been struggling with for a decade now, one captain looking to make a show of strength was able to take half the clan's soldiers out into the city instead of leaving them to guard home base. You see what I'm getting at right, we didn't need to destroy the Tojo, we just needed to give them the opportunity to destroy themselves."

"So, what happens now? The Omi forces storm into Kamurocho, now thoroughly unopposed? You take over and life goes on, the king is dead long live the king?"

"Well," Taro looked exasperated. "Yes, but also no, you know? Look, Haruka, I know it looks bad, but we do want to take this moment to prove that we're better than the Tojo. Less volatile. A bigger part of the community. We- I can be better than they were. I promise."

"All I hear is empty words from the next parasite to dig into this hell town."

"I don't get it Haruka, the group you hate the most, the group that took your father away from you, they're gone. You helped tear them down. They'll never be able to take another life in this city, in this country, and it's thanks to you. I figured you'd at least appreciate that a little more."

She spun on him. "No Taro, you don't get it. This isn't some petty little grudge with one clan in specific. This is about all of you, because all of you are the same. You say you want to be better than the Tojo, well it's too late for that. Because despite what you claim to want, you lied, and manipulated, and killed just to get your grubby hands on a useless stretch of life-sucking concrete. Because of your clever little scheme my son was terrorized, my friend had her business burned to the ground, and my uncle is dead."

"I'm sorry Haruka. I'm sorry you had to go through that. But you can't honestly blame-"

"I blame all of you! It's your fault as much as it is theirs!"

Taro was quiet for a minute. Keeping his breath held as he looked her over. "Right. Of course. I'm sorry."

"But you're not going to stop what you're doing."

"Well, I don't exactly have a choice."

"You had a choice…" Haruka huffed. "…You are of course familiar with my father. The stuff that he's done. The feats he's accomplished."

"There's not many people in this business who wouldn't know."

"You know about the time he fought the entire Tojo by himself to stop them from going to war?"

Taro paused. He studied her. Tentatively, a laugh escaped his lips. It grew, waiting for Haruka to join in on the joke. It faded when she didn't. "You can't be fucking serious."

"Bring your soldiers. As many as you can. The same pier. I'll stop all of you from repeating this cycle again."

"You realize what you're proposing, yeah?"

"Stopping an invasion at the pass?"

"It's some serious shit. Haruka, I'm grateful for what you've done, really I am, maybe you don't believe me but… but if you go through with this, my boys won't be holding back. After coming this far, we're not about to be stopped by one girl. They'll kill you if they feel they have to. You sure that's not too much for you?"

"Tomorrow night."

Taro blinked. Then nodded, the ghost of a smile twitching at his lips. "Tomorrow night then. Don't disappoint me."

And with that, he turned and walked right back the way he came. Down the fire escape and into the empty and dying streets of Kamurocho.


	22. Final Chapter: The Death of the Dragon

"You did _what?_ "

"I did what I had to, Date. After everything that man has done, after everything that's happened these past couple days, you want me to just sit back and let him get away with it?"

This situation felt familiar. Haruka was sat at the bar, Date stood over her, chastising her, judging her decisions. The details were different of course. They were in New Serena instead of Bohemia. Yuta was sitting with Haruto at a table nearby. But it felt the same. The only thing keeping the hot burn of shame from hurting her was her own anger at Taro.

"You could have come to me, Haruka. We now have hard dirt on the guy, you witnessed him on multiple counts of murder. If you let the police do their job, it will accomplish a lot more than you throwing your life away."

"You don't think I can do it."

"Sorry. If you let the police do their job, it will accomplish a lot more than you punching out the entire Omi Alliance. I know what you've got to prove here, Haruka, trust me I understand, but what good is it going to do?"

"You don't understand at all, Date. It's just something I've got to do, okay? I started this mess, and it's up to me to end it. I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt because of something that I did."

"You know that's what he wants, right?" said Yuta. Haruka spun in her seat to face him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Yuta crumpled a little under her gaze. "I mean, I was just- From the sound of things-" He sighed. "You were manipulated, Haruka. You were played. This guy, this… Kitamura guy. He started it. He dragged you into it. He put all the pieces in place so you'd do what he wanted, and despite the fact that he initiated everything, you feel like you did. You feel like it's your responsibility when it's not. Or, at least, that's what it sounds like. From what you said."

"So what do you think I should do?"

"I think you should do nothing. It's got nothing to do with you anymore, so there's nothing you have to do."

"I don't think it's that simple."

Yuta stood up and joined her at the bar.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Haruka looked at him. In his eyes she saw that protective drive that had made her fall for him in the first place.

"Anything."

He very softly placed his hand on hers.

"Try to see things as that simple."

Haruka's light smile dipped and she looked away without an answer.

"Hey, it's fine, as long as you tried."

Haruka wasn't entirely sure if she had.

He sighed again. "I just- I don't get it, Haruka. We talked every day while all of this was happening, why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to overreact. I didn't want you to panic. I didn't want… exactly what's happening right now to happen."

"You thought you had a handle on it."

"I… I thought I did, yeah."

"And you were right."

Haruka blinked and looked back at him. "What?"

"Well, I mean – you're still alive. You still have us. You apparently took down the whole Tojo in one night."

"That wasn't exactly me."

"My point is that you're still here and you're still okay, just like I knew you would be. If you had told me about all this when it started, if I hadn't come running immediately, this is what I'd expect from you. Still alive, pushing through, holding on, refusing to go down, and continuing to fight. I have absolute faith you can make it through anything, Haruka. No matter what happens."

Haruka couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"All I want to do is help you come out the other side as well off as you can be. I'm not going to stop you, cause I know more than anyone that I wouldn't be able to. Just promise me you'll keep me in the loop from now on."

Haruka squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

"Promise."

"Mommy?" Haruto walked up. Haruka smiled and picked him up and set him on her lap.

"What's up, sweetie?"

"Are you… going again?"

Haruka blinked. "What?"

"The thing you were talking about with daddy, it sounds scary. Are you going again?"

"Well… it's complicated."

Haruto winced.

"Hey. Come on, it's not like I'll be gone forever. I just need to do one more thing and…"

Haruka looked at the child in her lap. He held it back, but Haruka could read what he was feeling without trying. He was tense. Despairing. Angry. He wasn't sure what he was angry at, so his anger shot out in all directions. She gently tilted his face back up to look at her. His eyes reflected all of this, but past that she saw the dread. An inability to accept something that felt inevitable.

Maybe that wasn't at all accurate. Maybe that's just what Haruka remembered feeling when she looked like this.

"…and I'm not going away. I'm coming home."

Haruto perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. I've finished my work in the city, so I'm coming home. I'll move out tomorrow and we'll all take the train back. Okay?"

"Wait," Yuta said. "You serious?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I think it's about time, don't you?"

"So, you're not going to- Uh, what about Kitamura?"

Haruka looked at Date, who in turn was eyeing her curiously. With him, it was always hard to escape the feeling of being examined.

"I'll leave him to the police. They can take over from here."

After a pause, Date nodded. "We'll get it done."

"Wh- But-" Yuta stammered, still a bit flummoxed by her sudden change in decision.

Haruka took hold of Haruto and stood up. "It's getting really late. I think we all should turn in. Er, Date, do you have anywhere we could stay? Just for tonight."

"Yeah, the bar has an emergency guest room. Just for situations like this, actually."

Haruka gave a small bow. "Thank you."

Haruto reflected it as best her could from Haruka's arms. "Thank you, Mister Date."

"Hey, that's Detective Date to you, kid." Date pushed off the bar and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Guest room's through there. You all have a good night."

"Good night, Date," she said.

"Night night Dective Date," Haruto added.

Date gave one last smile and a nod, and then he left.

* * *

Daybreak slowly approached. In more normal circumstances, Haruka would be upset that Haruto was only just now getting to sleep, but instead a sense of calm washed over her as her husband's and her son's breathing turned shallow and the two of them were finally able to fall to sleep next to her.

A sense of calm and resolve. Haruka quietly slipped out of the futon she shared with Yuta, being careful not to disturb or wake him, and she left the guest room and crept back out into the bar.

She was so preoccupied with making sure the door didn't make a sound as it closed behind her that she didn't notice Date standing at the exit.

Haruka jumped. "Date? What are you doing here?"

"Please, Haruka, I'm the one who's supposed to be feigning ignorance here."

"Wh- I-"

"You weren't going to the bathroom and you weren't stretching your legs either."

Haruka took a moment to properly collect herself. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied convincingly.

"Don't bullshit with me, Haruka. I worked with your old man for 10 years before he left, and I've been on the force for twice as long. I knew your exact intentions as you were making them. Couldn't let the kid down, so you caved and gave him what he wanted, thought you could shake me off your back in the same move, but you weren't going to let go that easily, so the solution is obviously to try and get the job done early. You go out tonight, you beat up Kitamura and his goons, by the time any of us realize what you did it's already been done so we can't really complain. That about cover it?"

Haruka scowled. "It would've worked."

"It was a bad plan, Haruka!"

"You have no faith in me!"

"Fistfighting the entire Omi Alliance is a bad plan, even if you do it a day in advance!"

"If Uncle Kaz was here you wouldn't try to stop him!"

"He's dead because no one tried to stop him!"

Haruka took in a sharp breath. A flash of anger shot through her mind, but she pushed it back down and steadied herself.

"I'm going to finish this Date. Tonight. Do I have to go through you to do it?"

"I'm an old, old man, Haruka. Even in my heyday I wasn't the best scrapper. And certainly now I'm not in any shape to be fighting kids like you. Only thing I'm here to do is try one last time to convince you to stop. If you're still dead set on going after that, then there's nothing I can do to change that."

"Fine," she said. "Say what you've got to say and then stay out of it."

"Please, Haruka, be reasonable about this. Think of your family. You've built yourself a good life, don't throw it away for something like this."

"I have to. If I go back to running away, I'll be running away for the rest of my life."

"It's not running away to make a smart move and let someone else help you."

"You're talking about war, Date. You want the police to go to war with the yakuza, and if that happens then people are going to get hurt. I can end this now."

"Can you please just take a step back from yourself for a second? You think I want to see you get hurt? If some cops get hurt instead, then it's because it's their job to handle things like this to keep civilians like you out of danger."

"No one has to get hurt if you just let me do this!"

"You do, Haruka! You don't seem to get that I'm trying to protect you!"

"I don't need you to protect me anymore! When Uncle Kaz- he-…"

Date's eyes narrowed. "Is that what this is about?"

"It's not- This is about me, Date. It's about what I'm doing."

"You blame yourself."

"W- …Well, yeah."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I wrong? He only went there to save me. He jumped in front of a bullet for me. If I hadn't been there-"

"And why were you there, Haruka? You're so focused on always being the victim that you can't see what's actually happening here. Why were you on the docks that night?"

"Because… I'd been kidnapped. Because I couldn't protect myself when I needed to."

Date groaned and massaged his forehead. "You're still focused on you. You were kidnapped to manipulate Kiryu. He wasn't there because of you, you were there because of him."

Haruka's fists were shaking at her side. "Stop."

"He was the one who couldn't leave the life behind and everyone he knew suffered for it."

"Stop it, Date!"

"He built a civilian life just like you did, but every chance he got he ended up back here. And now you want to do the same, you want to hurt your son the way he hurt you. You want to go out like him and leave everyone around you in the pain you're feeling right now."

"I said shut up!"

"Your father died because he left you behind, Haruka!"

Haruka had no more words. She raised a fist clenched so tightly that the bones of her knuckles made the skin white and her nails carved tracks through her palms. She looked at Date, pained fury in her eyes. Teeth grit. Lungs full. Determination fueling her.

Haruka slammed her fist down on the bar counter. With the sound of thunder, the varnished wood cracked in two. And with that, it all left her. Her determination. Her anger. Her strength.

Her shoulder's quaked, her breath went ragged, and her face, against her will, broke. Great, messy tears began to stream down her cheeks and fall into the floor as she stared into it.

"Why did he always leave, Date? Why did he always leave me?"

Date shuffled forward. Very lightly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in. His hand moved gently across her back as she sobbed into his chest.

"Kiryu- Your father was a great man, Haruka. But great men always end up having to work for the world and never the people. He just wanted it both ways."

"I just- I just-" Haruka was struggling to form words between breaths.

Date quietly shushed her. "You just wanted a father. But instead you had to deal with a dragon."

"I love him. I miss him so much, Date."

"I know you do."

"I didn't – want him to – want him to go. I didn't want him to go back – every time."

"I know." He sighed. "I know."

"But he always – he always left. I wondered – I wonder – if it was my fault. That I did it. I drove him away. What if every time he left – it was because of me."

"Kiryu loved you as much as you loved him. I could always tell that much. What he did, he always thought it would be best for you."

"Then why – why did he always leave me? Every time I thought – we were a real family – he would go, and it would be over again. I hated it every time – I just wanted us to be together. Why couldn't that be what was best?"

"The only thing you can do is have faith. Have faith that he truly, honestly cared."

Haruka pulled her head away from Date's chest, leaving his shirt messy and tear-stained. She took in a few deep breaths to try and steady herself.

She swallowed. "The last time we ever had a real conversation… was around that table in Sunshine, when Ms. Park was convincing him that… that I wanted him gone. That I would be happiest if he just left. Ever since then… I've been terrified to think that – that he believed her. And that's – that's why-"

"Haruka, your father cared very deeply about you. You have to recognize that. He spent the last days of his life making sure you were okay."

"But he stayed away. He stayed in Fukuoka… he stayed in prison… and he stayed here. In this… _damn_ city."

Date sighed. "Come. Come here. Sit down." He ushered her into a seat at the bar and broke away, sitting across from her.

"You're hurting, Haruka. You're hurting real bad. From the sounds of it, you've been hurting for a long while. But I need you to think, put yourself in the shoes of your son. Recognize that now, you're the one leaving. You're the one running away from him, to this city, to the yakuza, to the name Dragon of Dojima. All that boy wants is to have a mother he can love."

"But – I just want to keep him safe. I just don't want him to get dragged into this."

"That's exactly what Kiryu wanted too. To keep you safe, to make sure you weren't dragged into this world. But here you are anyways. Do you honestly think it worked?"

Haruka sniffed. "The yakuza doesn't let people decide not to get dragged in."

"No, it doesn't. But it can't stop you from deciding to leave."

"I don't – I don't want to leave him."

"Then don't. Kiryu loved you. And you can love Kiryu. But you don't have to repeat his mistakes, Haruka. It's not a dishonor to try and be a better parent."

Haruka wiped a forearm across her face. The flow of tears from her eyes slowed to a crawl as composure slowly, slowly, returned to her.

"The Dragon of Dojima is dead," Date continued. "Let him rest in peace. You don't need to fill his shoes. Just be Haruka Sawamura instead."

Haruka took one last shaky breath. "Thank you, Date."

He smiled. "Don't mention it."

"I'd-" She took a few more deep breaths. There was a lot she wanted to say. To thank him for. But the words weren't coming out like she wanted them to. "I'd-… I'd like to report – a murder."

That actually got a slight chuckle out of him. "Why don't you get some rest first. You left your family back in there, after all."

* * *

The sun did eventually come up over Tokyo, proving that no matter what happens to you, the world just keeps on turning. You've got to either keep up or get left behind.

Date mused on this as he walked into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. A great big, fancy building with a lot of great big, fancy offices. Honestly, the reason Date had never made it this high up despite decades of work could probably be chalked up to the fact that anytime he set foot in here he invariably ended up insulting someone really important and pretentious. Only question was who it would be today.

A small electronic chime rang as he went through the front doors. He moved past it to the receptionist's desk with burning purpose. She didn't get halfway through the words "Can I" before Date interrupted her.

"Makoto Date, Detective, Organized Crime, I need to speak with the Deputy Commissioner immediately, it's an emergency."

"Well, I'm sorry Detective Date, but the Deputy Commissioner is in a meeting right now. Can I leave him a message?"

"Goddamn bureaucracy, did you not hear what I said? It's an emergency! There's no time! I need to talk to him, now!"

"Detective Date." The receptionist's service smile dipped into a sharp scowl. "If your message to the Deputy Commissioner is so important I can take a message and deliver it to him as soon as possible, but we can't just drop everything for one detective. If you continue to make a scene, I'll be forced to have you escorted out of the building and reported."

"I'm talking about the biggest case of my and his and your life here. I can tell you right now there's nothing going on in this building more important than what I've got to say."

"I'm very sure Detective Date, but – and I hate to repeat myself – the Deputy Commissioner is in a very important meeting at this very moment, and he cannot-"

The door chime rang again from behind Date. In swaggered in a lithe man, straightening out a few wrinkles in what was otherwise a sharp, blue suit and tie with a gold insignia over his breast pocket and the Police Department's crest on his shoulder. His dark hair was well combed, but one wouldn't exactly call it kept or styled, and he had the beginnings of a thick mustache growing above his lip.

"Morning, Mitsuki," he said.

The receptionist cleared her throat. "Good morning, Deputy Commissioner Tanimura."

Tanimura nodded politely to her, and then his gaze slid over to Date.

"Date? What are you doing here, man?"

"Was trying to talk with you, actually."

"Huh," Tanimura rubbed the back of his neck. "Deep shit?"

"Yeah."

"…Munakata deep?"

"Might be worse."

"Damn. Mitsuki, I'm going to be in a meeting with Date for a bit."

Mitsuki was flabbergasted. "Wh- But- But sir, you're already late for your 7 o'clock."

"Tell him to give me a minute. If he doesn't like it, he can reschedule."

With that, Tanimura nodded towards the innards of the building and swaggered on. Date gave one last polite nod to Mitsuki the receptionist and followed him.

The Deputy Commissioner's office was a luxurious suite on the top floor of the building with a view that faced downtown Tokyo. His desk was a deep, rich brown. His bookshelves were full to bursting with important looking legal tomes. His chair looked unbelievably comfortable. It sure as hell beat Date's cubicle.

Tanimura entered the office and almost immediately dropped into his chair and opened a drawer in his desk, producing a pair of scotch glasses and a glass bottle of brown liquid. He poured drinks for the two of them.

"They let you drink on the job up here?"

"Perks of the position. Don't think any of the rank and file guys downstairs would be thrilled if they found out, but the big important world leaders I meet with don't seem to mind."

Date clinked his glass against Tanimura's and drank. "What about the cocaine?"

"Hey! Alleged."

"Of course, of course."

"I'm assuming you're here for something more than just busting my balls on what I do on the clock."

Date sighed. Down to business. "You're aware of the Tojo's recent dissolution, yeah?"

"It's not exactly official yet, but yeah. My guys are all running around like headless chickens over this fiasco. Why, is it something to do with that?"

"I know the guy who killed the chairmen, and I know where the guy who killed the chairman will be in 12 hours, along with a building full of his best muscle."

"No shit. How'd you get something like that."

"There was a witness."

"I hope they're under our protection by now. If you're right, that's fucking powerful."

"The witness is Kiryu's kid."

Tanimura straightened up all of the sudden.

"The killer is the Omi chairman."

His eyebrows flew up that last extra bit.

"And tonight, he and the entire Omi warforce are gathering to fight with that witness."

Tanimura sputtered and sank back down into his seat. "That's a lot you're throwing at me for a day's notice, Date."

"Well, the witness hasn't exactly been cooperative."

"If we get a name quick, we could circumvent this entire fight before it happens, keep the kid out of danger and get the guy before he has a chance to run."

"…But…"

"…But, if we wait till tonight, use the kid as bait, and take out the Omi's warforce… it might spell the end for them as a whole."

Tanimura's gaze went distant as he drank.

"Knocking the legs out from under the Tojo and the Omi…" he continued. "That could cripple organized crime in all of Japan."

"It could."

"This is _a lot_ you're dropping on me on a day's notice."

"All I wanna do is keep Haruka safe. Ultimately, it's your decision."

"But you came to me for a reason."

Date huffed. "Well, if there was a warforce that could match the Omi's…"

"You know what you're asking me, right? You want the police to wage a war with the yakuza. On a day's notice. You want me to call in everyone who's got the day off, ask them to come in and get into a massive gunfight. On a day's notice?"

"Do I need to tell you to look out that window you've got there? Tokyo's already a mess. I'd be surprised if you weren't already operating on maximum capacity with this Tojo situation. If there was any all hands on deck situation we could have going into this, it would be what's happening out there right now."

Tanimura leaned forward, studying Date closely. It was rare to see the man this serious about something.

"You really want to do this, don't you?"

"I might have lied to you, Deputy Commissioner. There's a lot of people in this city I want to keep safe. Not just Haruka."

Tanimura took his drink and stood, stepping past Date and moving around the space of his office.

"You know," he said. "Someone told me once – don't remember who or when or what the context was – they told me that the people of this country are kept safest when the police and the yakuza work in tandem."

"You're talking collusion?"

"No, not collusion; synchronicity. The yakuza keep the streets clean in ways that the police can't. The police keep the yakuza in line. If we all have civilians' best interest in mind, then we cover twice as much ground together as either can by themselves."

"Do you believe that?"

"I don't know. But a Deputy Commissioner has to consider viewpoints like that when making decisions like this. You can't drop a bomb like this into an environment and expect everything to go on as usual. Hell, with a bomb this big, I don't think you could expect what once was to ever really grow back."

"One of the first things I learned on the force was to trust your gut. Don't second guess yourself. Falling into doubt is a good way to freeze up when everything goes to shit. What does Tanimura think? Not the Deputy Commissioner, but the man with a family and a personal stake in this."

"What does Tanimura think? Well in either case, this is an opportunity I can't really afford to pass up. It's just a question of whether we're taking down the man or the machine. It's not like the guy's going to be an easy catch, he's going to have his best soldiers on guard and his best lawyers on backup. We're walking headlong into a fight either way. Take down the guy, you're the Commissioner who got a chairman arrested. Take down the organization, you're the Commissioner who changed the face of crime in Japan."

"So what are you going to do?"

Tanimura turned back to him. "I can never help myself. I always jump for the biggest payout."

"Does that mean-"

"Don't start jumping and clapping just yet. Nothing's written in stone, there's a lot of paperwork that goes into a decision this huge. If I'm trying to get my hands on a warforce, there's a lot of people I have to go through and a lot of asses I have to kiss and there's only so many hours left in the day."

"But."

"But," Tanimura polished off the last of his drink. "You've got the backing of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

* * *

Haruka took a couple of deep breaths and steeled herself. Both her hands were balled up in tense fists at her side.

She raised one up, brought it to the charred black door of Bohemia –

and brought it back down. She was still trying to figure out what she was going to say.

Natsuko had cleaned things up a little, though without much actual repair yet. The flower pots and the sign had been cleared away and the nail that had held the sign up had been pulled out of the door. If Haruka looked close enough she could see, within the hole, clean, bright wood hidden beneath the charred, blackened exterior. It gave Haruka a little bit of hope, looking at that.

She took a couple more deep breaths and steeled herself again. She raised one of the tense, balled fists up again –

and she knocked.

There was a brief moment of silence where Haruka was afraid that Natsuko had given up and left already. Maybe she'd skipped town, and the last time she'd get to interact with her was getting a door slammed in her face.

"I'm sorry, Bohemia is not in a state right now to serve customers. Even if we were, during regular hours we-"

"Natsuko, it's me. It's Haruka. Again."

Silence.

"I, um- I know what you wanted to hear before. You don't have to come out and say anything but – but I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For real this time. I'm sorry that I dug myself into all of this and I'm sorry that I dragged you into it too. I had a choice and I could've kept you out of danger and I – I just thought I could be like my Uncle Kaz. I thought I could meet a threat head on and everything would turn out alright, but when I tried that everyone around me got hurt. And it's my fault. So, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for getting your bar burned down, I'm sorry for-"

There was a slight click and Bohemia's door flew open. Natsuko, looking like a bit of a mess in paint-stained sweatpants and a t-shirt, stepped up and scooped Haruka into a tight hug. Haruka took a moment to be stunned before hugging her back.

Natsuko laughed into her shoulder. "You're an absolute idiot, you know that?"

"I've been told that before, yes."

"You thought you could fight the entire Tojo by yourself."

"I mean, all things considered I think I did pretty well."

Natsuko broke the hug and held Haruka at arm's length. She was beaming with a very tired smile. She looked ragged. Haruka wondered if she'd gotten any sleep since the fire.

"Well, your old room is still open if you still need it. It was mostly untouched, luckily."

"That's part of the reason why I'm here now. There's one last stupid thing I need to do. And after that, I'm going home."

Natsuko's smile dipped. "One last… what now?"

Haruka took her hand. "Don't worry. I'm getting some help to make sure things don't go bad this time. And after that, they'll take over the fight for me."

"Well… baby steps I suppose. Want to come in then? Grab a drink? Might soothe your nerves before you have to go do something stupid."

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks."

With a slight nod and a slighter smile, Natsuko held the door open and invited her in. Haruka swallowed the lump in her throat and accepted, stepping into the bar.

The interior was more intact at least. Much of the wood had been scorched, but it wasn't warped or crumbling beyond recognition. Most of the floor and the countertops and the seats had been wiped clean, but there was still a visible layer of ash clinging to the less accessible parts of the room.

It hadn't been that long since she was in here last, but just seeing it so changed gave Haruka an uneasy sensation in her gut. The sensation turned to unsettled when Haruka thought of what had happened to the man who'd actually done this. The situation was a mess to be sure, but it was all going to end tonight, wasn't it?

"Actually," Haruka said. "Maybe not a drink. Maybe just put on some tea or something?"

Natsuko glanced at her, curious. "Yeah, I can do that."

She turned and ducked into the back room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Haruka moved up the stairs and to her room.

Natsuko had been right, it was almost entirely untouched. A little bit of the wood had darkened around the window, but other than that. The window pane hadn't even broken, and kept closed as it was, there was no ash up here. It was surreal, experiencing the change that Bohemia and the Champion District had gone through and now being back in her room like nothing had changed.

It was surreal being in here one last time.

There was a carton of cigarettes, mostly full still, just sitting on the table. Haruka pocketed that. She took the opportunity to change. These clothes had been through a lot. Got a new pair of jeans and a red tank top. She leaned on the windowsill and looked out, took in that familiar view as new again, saw how everyone in the Champion District were struggling as much as Natsuko was now.

Then Haruka took a seat at her table. After a sigh and a long pause, she spoke.

"I'm sorry Uncle Kaz. I tried to be strong like you. As fierce and tough and… as impenetrable as I remember you being. I wanted to be strong so I never had to put the people close to me in danger again. I didn't want to be saved anymore. But, I don't think anyone could be like you. And I don't think there ever will be anyone else quite like you again. And I wonder if it wasn't because you were so impenetrable that we ended up being pushed apart. But I suppose it doesn't matter now. I can't do things your way anymore. I tried and I failed, so I'm going to try doing things my way now. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

Haruka reached into her pocket and pulled out Majima's dagger.

"I still love you Uncle Kaz. I still miss you. You'll always be my father. But my name is Haruka Sawamura."

Very slowly, she lifted the dagger up towards the back of her head.

"And if I ever want to escape the shadow that you cast, I need to let you go."

She pressed the blade against her ponytail at the base of the hair tie. As soon as it made contact it cleaved through strands of hair, but that was barely a dent. She sawed deeper, cleaving a third of it. Then half. And then with one last push it was severed.

Twisting and writhing as it fell, like a dragon crashing to earth.

* * *

Haruka was tense. Nervous. Every instinct in her body told her to run but she stood there, staring ahead. On the one hand she had no reason to be afraid, on the other hand she had every reason to be afraid. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her side. Her breath was only kept under control with considerable effort.

And for the hardest part, she stepped forward.

Pushing forward, she walked along the side of a warehouse. On her left was a stretch of brick wall. On her right, passing street lamps which bathed her in light before quickly leaving her again in the darkness under a half moon.

The corner of the building was coming up on her, and she wasn't anywhere near ready to face it. She didn't stop and she didn't falter, but she wasn't ready.

And she turned the corner.

Down the length of street was a large stretch of concrete, large enough for trucks to drive through as indicated by the number of large, overhead doors that dotted the multiple buildings it went down. There were still street lamps dotting the edge on her right side, but past them was Tokyo Bay. Several miles of nothing but water before she could see land again, a black, formless blob on the horizon in front of a black, formless night sky.

To her front was another black, formless blob. A shapeless mass of black suits and dark glasses. In front of dozens of waiting cars were hundreds of waiting men. When they saw her there was a wave of movement. Some of the men readied themselves, putting up their fists. Many drew weapons: baseball bats, wooden swords, daggers, katanas, police batons, pistols.

And moving to the front of the pack, in a dark, business-like suit, with his broad face and soft smile, was Taro Kitamura.

"Hey Haruka." He waved to her from across the pier. "Like the new haircut. Makes sense for, you know, something like this, I suppose."

What remained of Haruka's hair fell just to her ears. She was still getting used to how light her head felt.

Taro gave a sigh, heavy enough that Haruka could see it from where she was standing. "Look, Haruka, I don't want you to have to go out like this. We can call this off, you can go home. You've already won, you don't need to fight anymore."

Haruka yelled back, "This is going to end tonight, Taro. One way or another."

Taro looked disappointed. His shoulders raised like he was about to say something more, and then sank back down as he shook his head.

One hand went up, and he quietly waved forward.

The Omi Alliance charged. The mass of black suits overtook Taro, swarming around him and spilling forward like an avalanche.

Haruka didn't move.

Those with melee weapons took the lead, bats and swords poking out from the rushing mass, ready to swing down into her.

Haruka didn't move.

They were getting close now. Haruka could see each individual roaring face, each set of clenched white knuckles. Each set of hateful eyes.

Haruka didn't move.

They were on her now. The one in front gripped his bat, brought it over his head and swung down.

And Haruka didn't move. As the bat flew directly into her, she squinched her eyes shut and braced herself.

All at once, there was a blaring sound that pierced the night air. No impact came. The sound of charging footsteps and yells trickled to a stop.

Haruka opened her eyes. The mass of men in front of her were all looking around concerned as to the source of the noise. The scene had descended into confused silence.

And then the silence was shattered. Sirens roared from every angle as rubber tires squealed against pavement. From both sides of the pier, dozens of police cars swerved from behind the building and formed two walls around Haruka and the Omi, trapping them in. Behind them a dozen more police vans backed them up. Officers poured from their vehicles with practice and precision, forming a half-circle barrier of riot shields around the scene. Even more took up a back line behind the riot shield perimeter with their weapons at the ready. Thunderous whirring came from above as helicopters descended from the sky with their spotlights pointed downwards.

A voice crackled onto a loud speaker, a voice Haruka recognized, though one it took her a moment to place.

"Taro Kitamura," Detective Tanimura said. "You are under arrest for multiple counts of murder, fraud and money laundering, gang affiliation, attempted assault on a civilian, and illegal firearm possession. The rest of you, just those last three."

Eyes from all over the pier glanced around nervously from officer to officer, police vehicle to police vehicle. All except Taro's. With one hand shielding his eyes, he looked up to the central helicopter and chuckled to himself.

"Just when you think you know someone."

Without a second's more hesitation, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a pistol, and fired up at the helicopter.

The bullet pinged harmlessly off metal, but that wasn't the point. Chaos erupted around the pier. The roars came back, merging with the sound of the sirens to make a blanket of pure noise. Those with guns held back, taking potshots at the opposition while those without rushed forward and slammed into the riot shields, in an attempt to break the perimeter.

The guy with the bat, shaken out of his confusion, swung down towards Haruka again. She blocked the swing with her elbow before it could build up enough momentum to hurt and downed him with a jab to the throat and the face.

The riot shield perimeter was beginning to falter now. Whenever one of the Omi managed to break the line, they were quickly grounded by baton strikes from the officers behind it. But as the breaches continued, it became harder to maintain that line of defense, and the scene soon devolved into exactly what Haruka was afraid of, a war.

Haruka scanned the crowd as she backed away, ready to eject herself from this situation like she had promised. But then she spotted Taro, climbing a fire escape ladder up to the roof of a nearby building. No one was following him. There were no eyes on him. He was going to get away.

Haruka charged forward without thinking. She dove into the crowd, pushing through the flailing bodies and clawing to try and get at him. One of the Omi came at her with a katana. She stopped his swinging arm with one hand and thrust her palm at the base of the pommel, knocking it from his grasp. Then she moved him to get between her and an Omi with a pistol who began firing into his back. Haruka kicked the man forward, sending them crashing into each other and tumbling to the ground as she continued.

She built her speed back up and vaulted over a riot shield to bypass several more groups of fighting before reaching the warehouse's wall. With no time to slow down, she slammed into it with her shoulder, spinning around just in time to see a wooden katana swinging towards her face. She ducked it at the last second, watching as it shattered to pieces on the wall behind her. The man lunged forward trying to grab her. She slammed a fist into his gut, forcing him to double over, gripped him by the head and slammed his face into the wall behind her. Keeping his head there, she then ran for the ladder, dragging him along the brickwork. Another Omi ran at her, fists raised and ready, and she yanked the first guy forward, tossing him to the ground and making the second trip over him.

Both of them hit the ground and Haruka jumped. She planted a foot in the one on top's elevated back and launched herself forward. Her hands grasped wildly for the ladder as she flew through the air, and she managed to grab onto it a dozen rungs up. It took only a moment for her to get her balance as her momentum made her swing past, but all four limbs latched on as soon as they were able, and as soon as they did she began clambering up to the roof, not caring how much the metal rattled and shook underneath her.

Haruka climbed onto the roof of the building on all fours. There was no time to wait for her to get her footing. She could see Taro running in the opposite direction and sprinted after him, gaining ground with every step.

 _"Taro!"_

He turned in surprise just in time for Haruka to tackle him to the ground. Taro rolled and was back on his feet in a second. Haruka kept tumbling forward before she was eventually able to stop and push herself up.

The two of them faced each other, breathing heavily. Taro eyes were alight, he seemed to be constantly on the verge of laughter, and that just made Haruka angrier.

"Good," Taro said. "I was hoping you'd leave me with something to remember you by."

She ripped her jacket off and threw it aside. He mirrored her movement, tearing off his shirt, jacket, and tie. The only thing covering him now was his tattoo, the image of a human warrior moments away from clashing with a dragon.

Haruka roared and charged him again. She got both his arms around his waist in an attempt to tackle again, but this time he didn't go down. With the force Haruka was putting into pushing him over, he was skidding back across the roof by the soles of his shoes, but his core didn't falter, he stayed perfectly upright. Haruka launched a few swings at his gut, she could feel him buckle slightly under the strikes, but not near enough.

Taro reached down and grabbed Haruka by the waist himself. Effortlessly, he lifted her off the ground and flipped her upside down to where her head was pointed towards the roof. Haruka threw her hands over her head. As Taro fell, she planted her hands on the ground and wrapped her legs around his head, shifting his weight and throwing him off of her. He hit the ground with a handspring and instantly flipped back onto his feet. And just like that, his hands were back up, and he shifted a stray strand of hair out of his face with a casual smile.

Haruka moved in again. She slammed two quick jabs into his core and was throwing out a third when his body shifted, almost imperceptibly, and suddenly Haruka felt his fist slamming into her gut. Spit flew from her mouth and she stumbled back, clutching her stomach. Taro looked back down at her, expectantly.

Haruka narrowed her eyes and put her fists up again. She approached Taro, but this time slowly, with more caution. He took notice, smirking as he put his fists up as well.

He gave her what she wanted with a jab, which she weaved around and countered with two quick slams to his gut. He swung a hook at her head, she ducked it, landed two more gutshots and then a slam into his face. He swung low again, going for her stomach, she jumped back, giving his fist just enough time to lose momentum, then leaped back forward and laid a straight into his cheek.

Taro wiped some spit from the corner of his mouth. He seemed to absorb everything she threw at him. Haruka wasn't sure if she'd managed to make him back up an inch yet.

Haruka took a few deep breaths and dove back in. Two shots to his gut, duck a swing, shot to the gut and shot to the chest, sidestep, face, chest, gut, dodge, as Haruka moved out of the way of a swing, Taro's other hand shot up to meet her. His thick finger wrapped around her throat and before Haruka knew it she was dangling off the ground. Her hands were kept at his, struggling to try and keep her throat clear so she could keep breathing. Her legs swung chaotically, slamming into his chest and stomach and getting nothing for it.

"I'm disappointed honestly," he said. "You got through all that, the whole Tojo Clan, and this is all you can give me? What kind of sorry state were they in?"

He walked forward, carrying Haruka at arm's length in front of him like a bottle of booze. When he eventually stopped, Haruka glanced down and saw there was no longer roof underneath her feet. Just a straight drop all the way back down to the pier. She doubled her struggling to no further reward.

"I'm sorry about this, I really am. But, I mean, I warned you, didn't I?"

Taro let go. Haruka fell through the air. Her swinging feet and clawing arms finding absolutely nothing to get any purchase on. Everything moved in slow motion as Haruka began to feel herself beginning to fall faster, and faster, and faster.

Her hand caught something. It gripped onto the lip of the roof, causing her to swing forward and slam bodily into the wall. The wind was knocked out of her, but she kept that grip up, and lifted her other arm to join it and hold her up.

Taro groaned. "Come on. Don't make this harder than it has to be. Please?"

He lifted a foot, ready to bring it down on Haruka's fingers.

She put all her energy into yanking herself up as far as possible, hopping up inches at best. Her hands left the lip of the roof and instead they latched onto Taro's leg. With no balance and no leverage, Taro was caught completely unaware and was sent toppling off the roof down with her. Seizing her advantage, Haruka wrestled him around, twisting what weight she had to push him below her just in time for the two of them to slam painfully into the ground. Haruka's landing was cushioned by Taro's body. Taro's landing wasn't.

A couple of the yakuza surrounding them now took notice. "Chairman!" they shouted in concern, rushing over with weapons raised. Haruka got to her feet, shakily, but she stood. She sent one to the ground with a hook, swung back and caught the other with a backhand. A third came running up just a bit too close, so Haruka grabbed him by his tie and pulled him forward, slamming his head into hers, and he went down as well.

Taro was beginning to push himself back up, on his knees and elbows. Haruka leaned over and grabbed one of the dropped weapons; a wooden sword. She tested its weight a little in her palm. Just as Taro straightened his back up, Haruka swung the sword into the back of his head, where it shattered into pieces, knocking Taro back to the ground.

Haruka tossed the last piece in her hand aside and walked up. She leaned over and gripped the back of his head by his curly, matted hair, and lifted his head up inches off the pavement just to slam it back down again. And again. And again. She then stood back up and kicked at him, rolling him over onto his back.

A steady stream of blood was flowing from his nose. Haruka decided to add to it by stomping on his face.

Taro chuckled, the wind seemingly knocked out of him. "Just when… you think you know someone."

"Stay down, Taro. It's over. You've already lost."

Taro responded by reaching out and grabbing Haruka by the ankle.

"…Not just yet."

He sat up without issue, yanking Haruka to the ground. He stood up, cracked his neck, and then pulled. Haruka was swung up, over his head, and then slammed her back down into the pier. The entire world spun around her for a moment. It was only when she felt his grip on her leg tighten again that she forced it all to snap back into focus.

Haruka kicked back, scraping and prying Taro's fingers off her leg with her heel. When eventually he conceded, she kicked back for extra room, slamming her foot into his shin. Haruka jumped up to her feet. Taro was still recoiling so she stepped forward and slammed his face with a hook. He flinched and staggered back.

Haruka blinked. Taro rubbed his cheek curiously. He sniffed and swung at Haruka's head. She easily ducked the swing and slammed a fist into his gut. He double over. She swung a hook at his face. His cheek caved underneath it and he stepped back. She launched an uppercut into his chin, he feet went off the ground for a moment and he staggered.

The broad grin returned to his face. "Yeah, alright." His stance shifted. His weight moved up to the balls of his feet where he bounced lightly. Haruka threw out another swing and Taro disappeared.

A fist slammed into the back of her head. Haruka spun with a wild swing, but she hit and saw nothing but empty air. His foot cracked into her spine. She staggered forward stretching and massaging her back before turning. Taro was just standing there, casual as could be.

Haruka shrugged her shoulders out with a scowl and got her fists back up as she approached. Taro readied himself as well. It was subtle. He didn't move, but she could see his muscles tensing.

She swung a hook at him. At the last moment she saw his fists come up and then he was gone. Haruka instinctively ducked, heard the whoosh of an arm passing over her head as she pivoted to turn around. She found Taro again behind her and shot a jab to his torso. Again, he was gone. Without losing any momentum, Haruka stepped back, donkey kicking behind her. She could feel her foot clip flesh, though only just barely as they moved away from the strike. Arms wrapped around her leg and she was thrown off balance, flung to the ground. Face up, she could see Taro standing over her. She didn't want to give him any room to try anything, so instantly she was spinning, her feet whipping through the air above her like a windmill as she pushed herself up. Taro darted back, and when Haruka was on her feet again, he was already some dozen yards away.

Haruka huffed. Taro was waiting for her approach again. Instead, Haruka walked to the side. She kept her eyes locked on him, even while she slammed a nearby yakuza with an elbow and snatched the pocket knife from his hand. She hurled the blade forward, sending it spinning through the air right at him.

She caught a smirk just before he shot forward. Moving feet at a time, he zig-zagged his way through the space in the blink of an eye. Haruka could barely react to where he appeared before disappearing.

But she could predict it.

In only a second, Taro was in front of her, cocking a fist back and ready to rock her with a hook, but Haruka expected him and was already slamming his chin with an uppercut. He staggered. Haruka pressed the advantage, grabbing his shoulder with her left hand and laying into his face with her right. She managed to get half a dozen hits in before Taro was able to fight back. She threw out another punch, but this one he caught with his open palm. Fingers locking around her fist and holding it in place. Taro made to counter, throwing out a fist of his own, and Haruka mirrored his grab, catching the punch and holding his fist now.

The two of them dug their heels in and pushed on the other with all their strength. Despite the confident smile on his face, Haruka could see the veins popping in his forehead. An arm would occasionally make an inch of progress, but was usually quickly shunted back in turn. Haruka was straining as far as she thought she could go, but it was like pushing a brick wall.

Taro brought his head back and Haruka's eyes went wide. He threw a headbutt forward. Haruka threw her own back to meet it. In the split second that they met in the middle, her vision went black. As it faded in, Haruka could see Taro reeling back for another.

His head shot forward and this time Haruka leaned hers to the side, extending her neck as far as she could to dodge the hit without giving up any ground. As the headbutt slammed into the side of her throat, she moved in and bit down on his as hard as she could. Blood rushed her mouth and Taro yelped in pain from right by her ear. She could feel his grip loosen as the shock hit him, so Haruka pulled back, yanking her hands free from his, and then charged forward, tackling him by the waist. This time, he gave. She rushed forward, pushing the two of them through crowds of warring men, and slammed his back down on the hood of a police car. While he was still stunned, she brought both her fists together in a hammer and slammed down on him. Onto his face, his chest, his bleeding shoulder. She threw down her fists for another slam, but this one he managed to squirm out of the way of, Haruka's fists instead impacting onto the car's hood and leaving a crumpled dent. Taro shoved forward with his shoulder and pushed her back off of him. She darted forward again, throwing out a wild lunge. He slipped under her arm and disappeared again. Haruka bent down, her leg muscles coiling and tensing, and she jumped into the air, extending one foot and spinning a full 360 degrees in a hurricane roundhouse. There was nowhere for him to hide now, she caught him by the cheek and sent him spinning away.

Haruka flew in and launched a straight at his chest. Taro swerved, bending his back to slip past the punch and countered with a haymaker. Darkness creeped at the edge of her vision. She flung herself back forward again and threw out an overhead slam with one fist, which he dodged, and an uppercut with her other, which he did not. His chin was rocked, but he was no longer letting that stop him. He immediately countered with two hooks that slammed into each of Haruka's cheeks. The darkness at the edge of her vision throbbed with each impact.

Haruka and Taro were locked in on each other. Hook. Uppercut. Haymaker. Left. Right. Left. Occasionally she would take the moment to dodge a hit, when it felt like her head couldn't take much more. With every hit she landed her mind tunneled further, focusing on nothing around her except for Taro. With every hit she took, her vision tunneled as well, only driving that single-minded fury. As far as she was concerned, the only two people on this tier were her and him.

She elbowed him in the throat and rocked the side of his already very bruised face. He countered with a hook and jabbed her in the nose.

Blood streamed down her face and arms and chest. Every inch of her body was scraped and bruised and sore. Every ounce of her willpower was put towards ignoring all that and pushing forward until Taro was down. The air she breathed was fire. The world she saw was black. The only sound in her ears was torrential roaring.

The roaring was getting closer. Haruka blinked and looked to her right. There she saw a black car rushing towards the two of them.

Haruka jumped back, ducking out of the way of the car as it rushed past. She watched it as it went, running from the battle and sideswiping a few police cars just to break the perimeter and escape. Haruka's gaze slid from there to the rest of the pier. What was already a scene of chaos had somehow become even worse. Any resemblance of strategy on either side had broken down and devolved into one on one brawls just as feral as the one she was in. Loose puddles of fire had sprung up around the pier, burning hotly and sending ash into her throat. Ownerless weapons lay on the ground like discarded coins, only to be picked up at random by someone in desperate need. Spatters of blood dotted the pavement. Dozens of men were already on the ground, unconscious.

Something moved in the corner of Haruka's vision. She turned to look. Taro's fist was barreling towards her face.

There was no time to dodge, no time to block, it was already on her. The only thing she could do was intercept. Her own fist mirrored his, driving from her shoulder and rocketing towards him. The entire world moved in slow motion as she watched those two fists sail through the air, throwing off showers of sweat and blood.

Haruka was too late. She couldn't move fast enough. Taro was going to land first.

His fist crunched into the side of her cheek.

She felt her brain rattle in her skull.

Everything went black.

* * *

Everything was black. Haruka's vision was empty and her consciousness was nowhere. She was in nothing, nothing at all but nothing.

Had she failed then? Failed in her one last stupid thing? She was going to try and stop following in Kiryu's footsteps, but she couldn't even do that right. Failed as a dragon and failed as a man.

Haruka.

What was going to happen now? Was Taro going to get away? Do everything that he did and not face a second of punishment for it? Would Haruka not get her retribution? Would Majima go unavenged? Would worse happen to her now, now that she'd lost?

 _Haruka._

Her mind swam with nothing but questions. Questions about what she had done. Questions about what would be done. Questions about what was happening right now. They floated through her sore, tired brain, never latching onto anything and drifting away unanswered. Her thoughts were lost in a haze of confusion and doubts.

"Haruka!"

Haruka snapped to attention. A question locked in to the forefront of her mind, one she wanted to answer. Who was that calling to her?

Her first thought went, as it usually did, to Kazuma Kiryu. As that thought formed, so too did he, standing in the blackness.

"Focus, Haruka," he said.

But no, it couldn't be him. He was gone. And he wasn't coming back. Just as quickly as it came, his image fell to dust, and Haruka had to swallow her feelings yet again.

But if it wasn't him? Who was it? Goro Majima?

He appeared as well. "Come on Haruka, you can do it!"

No, Majima was in the same boat now. He was also gone. Haruka had to accept these things.

Taro appeared next. "Just keep going Haruka, I know you can make it."

Taro was a liar. A manipulator. A man who used her pain to fulfill his own desires. No matter what front he put forward, he didn't actually care about her. She realized this now.

Yuta. "Keep standing, Haruka."

Haruto. "Show him, Haruka."

Natsuko. "You can't fall here, Haruka."

Who was it? Who did that voice belong to?

Just behind it, she could hear impacts. Flesh striking flesh. And past it, crackling fire. Rocking waves. Clanking metal.

An engine roared to life. Tires squealed against pavement as it grew closer, passed right by her, then went away. Crunching metal resounded in its path before it went too far for Haruka to hear.

This had already happened. Then that meant, her brain was catching up with her? She'd heard these things before?

Who said it though?

One last image formed. Makoto Date, concern plastered all over his face, leaned forward and yelled. "Look out Haruka!"

Date, who had criticized her at every turn.

Date, who she avoided for trying to reign her in.

Date, who was the first to suggest she abandon her father's legacy.

All he wanted was for her to get out of this okay. And that's all she wanted as well. To go back to her husband like she promised. To go back to her son like she promised.

The blackness began to clear from her vision. Time began to move again.

* * *

Taro's fist was crunching into her face.

Her own fist was moving forward.

Taro followed through.

Haruka moved into the strike.

Her fist landed.

Crunch.

Taro was flung backwards, landing on the ground feet away. His breathing was heavy and pained. His hand groped at the air above him, looking for purchase and not finding any. He moved to use the last of his strength to sit back up.

Haruka walked over to him. Recognition sparked in his already unfocusing eyes.

"Ha- Haruka… Hey… Listen… I didn't mean what I-"

She lifted a foot and stomped his face. His head bounced off the pavement. Then it lolled to the side without moving.


	23. Epilogue

Haruka Sawamura's eyes lingered on the automatic doors. Try as she might to focus on what she was doing, they kept flitting back. The city was kind of in a rough state right now, she wasn't really sure what she expected anymore.

The hood of her jacket was kept down. She was still getting used to how much less hair she had now. It always kept her feeling off balance. It certainly didn't help the squirming in her stomach, the one that told her something bad was about to happen. The one that really didn't go away.

She moved over to the counter and set down several convenience store bento boxes with a stack of paper yen on top. The girl behind the counter had one of those alternative hairstyles and didn't even look at Haruka as she rang up her purchase. Haruka didn't give it much thought. She gave her a kind smile anyways as she put all her food in a plastic bag.

A whistle from her right. Haruka tensed up. She'd let her eyes off the door for just a second. The cheery, automatic voice chimed in from the overhead speakers as a young punk with greasy, heavily styled hair and a too tight t-shirt sauntered in.

"Now that's the kind of smile a man would love to see under him."

Haruka's smile dropped pretty quickly.

"I was just leaving."

The rest of the guy's cronies filtered in behind him. Kids in street clothes, some too loose, some too tight. Exactly what Haruka expected.

"Me and the boys were planning to have a baller night out on the town, and we-"

Haruka shouldered through them and left the convenience store. There was a confused blubbering left in her wake. She just kept walking as far as she could.

"Hey, bitch!" The guy yelled as he ran out after her. "Don't you know it's rude to walk out when someone's talking to you? Look I wanted to treat you nice, but if you wanna get rough we know how to get rough, get it?"

Haruka sighed and set her bag down at the side of the building. She cracked her knuckles and turned around. The guy was smiling a mean, dumb smile, one he kept as he and his cronies were sent to the ground. One strike a piece. She picked her bag back up and continued on her way. Down Tenkaichi Street, turning right at Taihei Boulevard and not stopping till she finally reached the Champion District. The alleyways were just as narrow as always, but something with how empty and lifeless they felt now made them seem so much less tight to navigate. She made sure to be gentle with Bohemia's door as she opened it.

Sitting there at the bar, waiting for her, were Natsuko, Date, Yuta, and Haruto.

She lifted her bag up for them to see. "It's not exactly fancy, but I wanted something quick and cheap."

"Geez, Haruka," Natsuko said. "I could just order something. I'll gladly pay for that extra step in quality."

Haruka looked around at the scorched bar. "Once you get things fixed up around here, then I'll let you pay for me. Until then," she set the bag on the countertop.

Haruto was already fishing his out and digging in. That made Haruka smile.

"Well," Yuta said, pulling his own box from the stack. "I, for one, am happy with whatever you've got to give me."

"Uh-huh, I'm sure," Natsuko said.

Yuta just frowned and blushed.

Haruka looked between the two of them. "Natsuko, what did you do to my husband?"

"Nothing," she said laughing. "Just teasing him is all. I can see _exactly_ why he married you."

Yuta blushed harder.

"Miss Natsuko was talking to daddy a lot while you were gone," Haruto said. "She said that he-"

"Hey," Yuta interrupted. "Date, uh, what exactly's going on with the Omi now?"

"Hard to say just yet. Most of the convictions are likely to go through, though we're playing a bit of guess who matching up which officers can corroborate which members being on the scene. And of course, there's Kitamura's arrest. With all the things he got up to personally, he'll be going away for a long time."

"I still can't believe he did all that to you, Haruka. And I had no idea the whole time."

Haruka sighed. "I'm sorry for not telling you. But at least it's all over now."

"Whatever happens now," Date continued. "It's made a huge dent on the Omi. Losing their chairman and getting so many of their forces wrapped up in all this, if they make it through this they're going forward basically crippled."

Date stared forward.

"Things are changing really fast now. It's a change I didn't expect to live to see, certainly wasn't expecting it all to come down in two days."

That bar was quiet, contemplating along with Date.

"Dective Date," Haruto said. "Are you going to eat your bento?"

Date's pensiveness broke, he smiled at the kid and shook his head. "I think I'll pass. I'm sure the missus is preparing something for me right now. Wouldn't want to say no to her."

Date then frowned as his phone began ringing. He answered it. "Hello, Date." Sigh. "Yeah I'll be right over, just give me a minute."

He begrudgingly grabbed a bento from the bag and began eating, muttering about how much work Haruka gave him.

"So," Natsuko said. "What are your plans now?"

"I'm heading back home," Haruka said. "My family has an orphanage out in Okinawa. We'll get our feet back under us and then figure out what we'll do from there."

Haruka gripped Yuta's hand. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"We'll miss you here, you know. It's not easy to find someone with both an approachable face and talent for ass kicking. Plus, if I want another bouncer, I might have to actually look into hiring a man."

Haruka chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

"Are you heading out tonight then?"

"Probably, yeah. We gotta get the kid home, safe and sound. I'm sure all his friends are worried that he and his dad just disappeared in the middle of the night."

"Well, if you're ever in town again, you know where the best drinks in the Champion District are made."

"We'll be sure to keep that in mind. When I come back, this place better be twice as busy as it was when I worked here."

"I can take up that challenge. So, this is goodbye then?"

"This is goodbye. I've spent too much time in this city anyhow. Just wasn't built for it, you know?"

"I understand. Well then, cordially, professionally, and personally, I'd like to say, goodbye Haruka Sawamura. It's been an adventure."

* * *

There was one last place Haruka wanted to stop before leaving. The central square of Kamurocho around the Millennium Tower was bustling with activity, even as the sun had set. No one stopped and gawked or gave any indication that anything had gone down here just a few nights prior. Other than yellow tape kept around the shattered window, nothing seemed different at all. It was business as usual. A city this big wouldn't be stopped or slowed by a single death or a couple arrests.

But that, Haruka supposed, is what the people in the city were for. To keep the world turning no matter what happened. She slowly approached the steps out front with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. People walked around her as she moved. She paid them no mind in turn, only flashing back to what this place had looked like that night, with Majima's fallen body there.

She knelt down and placed the flowers on the steps.

"I guess I never really got to say goodbye, Uncle Ma," she said under her breath. "But I'm- I'm taking your advice. I'm going to go home and I'm going to be with the people I love and I'm going to be happy, even if I have to force myself to be. Thinking about it, we met in some pretty strange circumstances. The first in a long line of being used to get to Uncle Kaz. But even still, I'm grateful for everything you did for me. Right up to the end. I hope…" Haruka swallowed hard and blinked back her tears. "I hope one day you can force yourself to be happy too. Goodbye Goro Majima."

With one last deep breath, Haruka stood up. Her family was there by her side. She took her husband's hand on her right, and her son's hand on her left, and together the three of them turned away from the Millennium Tower, and left Kamurocho.


	24. Chapter ?: ?

Haruka's eyes flared open when she heard the sound. A slight thwack. The chipping of wood from outside the house.

Quietly and carefully she slipped out of the futon with Yuta. Fortunately, he was a very heavy sleeper.

She crept through Sunshine's halls and out the front sliding door. Looking around for the source of the sound, she found a probable cause, a black kunai knife jutting into the wood frame of the building.

With a tug she pulled it out and looked it over. Genuine steel with a genuine blade. That certainly wasn't good.

Haruka looked out, away from Sunshine. There was a figure standing on the beach, just before the ocean. Stock still, only illuminated by light from the moon and stars.

Haruka only had on her pajama pants and a white undershirt, so she made her way to the beach with bare feet digging into the sand.

The figure on the beach was a woman. Short, black hair framed her face. Pitch black sunglasses hid her eyes. A long, black trenchcoat covered her body with a button up shirt beneath it just as dark. Her dark, black trousers ended in dark, black boots.

"Can I help you?" Haruka asked as she approached.

"Haruka Sawamura. I have been waiting for this opportunity."

Haruka blinked. "Do I know you?"

"We met once, many years ago. But our meeting then was an inconsequential conflict. Our clash tonight is what will truly matter."

"What? Wait, I know you, you're that one girl who had it out for my dad."

"My name is Noa Amon of the Amon Clan. You were foolish to have forgotten our power so easily, Haruka Sawamura, and now you will pay for it dearly."

"Um… so did you just want to dance again? Because it's late, I mean I probably still could, but could you at least come back in the morning?"

"I am not here to dance, Haruka Sawamura! I am here to take my revenge against your family in to the death combat!"

"Combat? Death? Revenge? What? What did I do?"

"It's not what you did, Haruka Sawamura. It is your father who has slighted us."

"Uncle Kaz? Be he's…"

"Deceased, yes. I am well aware. But that is the exact action which drives my clan to revenge."

"I'm… very confused."

"For over a decade it had been the Amon Clan's sole driving motivation to slay Kazuma Kiryu and reclaim our clan's reputation as the undefeatable mercenaries that we are. Our strongest warrior, Jo Amon, was sent to face him multiple times, and every time he came back in defeat. I wished to face him myself, to prove it could be done, but I was told again and again that it was against our clan's laws for men and women to fight. And then… that blasted Kazuma Kiryu had the nerve to die by hands other than our own. Do you understand now, Haruka Sawamura? It is a stain on our legacy that will never fade. Not without blood in return. Our honor is in shambles and it's all the fault of your father, Kazuma Kiryu!"

"Um… I don't really understand, no."

"But now is when things change. Your actions in Kamurocho these past few days, the destruction of organized crime in Japan, they tell me one thing, Haruka Sawamura. You may indeed be as strong as Kazuma Kiryu, if not capable of surpassing his strength. Now the shoe is on the other foot, this is my one opportunity. I will defeat you Haruka Sawamura, you who were trained in his martial arts, you who were able to reach the heights of his legacy, you who are practically his own flesh and blood, and I will be the one to finally restore the honor of the Amon Clan! Now, Haruka Sawamura,"

Haruka took a few steps back. "Perhaps I should-"

"Die!"

Amon threw her arms wide and a torrential storm of kunais flew from her sleeves. Hundreds of daggers flew towards Haruka, forming a wall that she couldn't possibly get around. Instead, she was forced to go through. Her head serpentined through flying blade after flying blade while her spin arched to maneuver her body through the storm. With every step she took, she was forced to adopt a new position, and the closer she got to Amon the less time she had to see what was coming towards her.

But it was worth it. As Haruka closed the gap between them, she finally got close enough to lay into her. With a sharp right to Amon's face, she was sent stumbling back, bringing an end to the storm of kunais.

"Hmph, impressive," Amon said, rubbing her cheek. "It appears I did not overestimate you."

From behind her back, Amon drew a weapon. A very unique weapon. A thin pole of solid wood, very similar to a bo staff, ended suddenly in a katana blade, without so much as a pommel or handguard. On the opposite end of the staff section from the katana blade was a lengthy metal chain which connected to a dangling sai.

Amon began to spin her weapon to either side. The sai flit around her like a helicopter blade, blocking any entrance Haruka could make. Amon swung the blade at Haruka's head, she ducked the swipe, then Amon followed through on the motion and spun the weapon, swinging with the staff, Haruka sidestepped and darted in. She was ready to start throwing out some hits herself, but forgot about the sai until the last moment. As it swung up to meet her face, Haruka was forced to duck and roll through the sand to avoid it.

As she came back up, a length of wood smacked her across the face, once from the left, once from the right. Her vision focused just in time to see the katana blade swinging towards her head. Haruka ducked it, but as the swing followed through the chain with the sai swung in to fill the void. Haruka stepped back and held her hand up. The chain wrapped around her wrist, tautening and making the sai slam into her forearm. It cut a slight nick in her skin, letting the blade have its first taste of blood. Just as Haruka was thinking to tug back, however, Amon raised the blade and pointed it right to her throat.

Haruka and Amon paused for that moment, Haruka not daring to pull on Amon's weapon wrong.

And as the moment ended, Amon moved to strike and Haruka batted the weapon aside, using the chain to block the blade. She pulled back, but Amon's grip didn't slip. Instead, she spun the weapon in her grip so the staff faced Haruka, then pulled back, driving the blade under her armpit. Haruka was yanked forward, almost losing her footing, but instead used the momentum to lay into Amon's face with a haymaker at the same time that she jabbed into Haruka's stomach with the staff end of her weapon.

Haruka spun, swinging her free arm into Amon's face once, twice, on the third Amon spun her weapon, batting her arm to the side. With one hand tangled in the chain, as Amon continued to spin she twisted both her arm together painfully. With still a bit of chain free, Amon swung down, looking to slash Haruka's wrists with her blade, if not cut her hands straight off. Haruka gave the chain a yank and kicked straight forward into her gut. Spinning her arms slightly, she untangled the chain around her wrist and relented to give Amon all of her weapon back. Haruka backed away, getting her fists back up.

"You are an amusing woman, Haruka Sawamura," Amon said.

Haruka responded by scuttling down on the ground, grabbing a large handful of sand, and throwing it forward. The particles that reached Amon's face stuck to her glasses. None managed to get into her eyes, but she was still blinded in some sense. Haruka moved in, slamming a fist into her gut, dodging the reactionary swipe of the blade, and catching her again with a left hook.

Amon pulled the glasses from her face and hurled them at Haruka, who instinctively raised her hands to block the attack, as much of an attack as it was. When she looked back up, Amon threw her arms out wide again, this time both straight up over her head. Dozens of katanas flew from her sleeves, over the beach, and then fell to the ground in a deadly shower. Each one landed point down, sticking out of the sand like monuments.

Haruka regarded the scene curiously. She wasn't entirely sure what Amon's plan with this was. Even after she plucked one of the swords out of the ground, wielding it in her off hand while her main hand kept a grip on her weapon. Then she charged, Haruka stumbled back and grabbed a katana of her own just in time to block as Amon began swinging. Metal clashed on metal, scraping off and sending bright sparks into the dark night air. Haruka had to support the back of her blade with her other hand just to keep her grip from buckling under the strength of Amon's strikes. She slashed at Haruka with her katana, then with the blade of her weapon, and even with one hand she was able to spin the weapon in her hand and send the sai flying towards her. Haruka ducked and used the movement to step forward. She bridged the gap in a second and slashed wide with her katana, cutting into Amon's gut. She rose, following up the strike, but her steel quickly met Amon's, stopping it dead.

Amon was already attempting to capitalize so Haruka jumped back to make space. Amon responded to this by throwing her katana forward. Haruka didn't have any trouble sidestepping the flying blade, even without looking.

There was a metallic sound behind her. Then a second a couple feet away. That was just enough noise to be odd. Haruka took her eyes off Amon for a second and looked back, just in time to see the katana flying back towards her. She tucked and rolled through the sand, keeping a grip on her blade as she went.

By the time her focus was back on Amon, she was already moving. Amon started spinning her weapon again in a blurring windmill of steel in front of her. Haruka wasn't sure how she could possibly approach it without losing an arm. As she was thinking this however, Amon acted. The chain of her weapon flew, never once getting close to scratching her, its patterns seemed random at first until it wrapped around one of the katanas in the ground, then yanked and flung it forward.

Haruka rolled to the side, letting the blade sail past her. The chain was being whipped in a frenzy now, it latched onto two more blades and sent both hurtling towards Haruka. She got her only blade ready, parried the first and sent it into the ground, then knocked the second towards the sky with an upward slash. The chain reached out and latched onto another katana, this one however flew wide, shooting at an angle away from Haruka.

It clashed with one of the katanas sticking out of the ground with a sharp clang, then ricocheted off, flying in a whole new direction. Then it hit another and flew off again. Then again. It zig-zagged towards and pinballed around Haruka, she was forced to ignore Amon altogether to keep from being suddenly skewered. Her shoulders twisted and her back bent and a few times she had to hit the deck or roll to dodge the flying blade. As she was distracted however, Amon was flinging more flying blades into the mix, quickly producing a completely random storm of sharpened steel. Haruka couldn't afford to stay still for a moment. If she didn't do something to stop this quick, her chances of making it were close to 0.

Haruka bolted, took off sprinting towards Amon. She leaped and hurdled over two flying blades that collided with each other and clattered to the ground, then while in the air she extended her own blade and began to spin, knocking three more down before landing. A quick glance around told her where the rest were, and two were heading right towards her. With two quick slashes, however, they were both sent into the dirt.

There was one left, and it was flying away. Amon wasn't having that. She ran forward, leaped, and whipped the chain of her weapon out. It snatched the blade out of the air, and with a swing she sent it flying straight at Haruka.

Haruka dug in her heels, dropped her katana, and brought both hands up, clapping in front of her face and catching the sword between her palms. The momentum was hard to stop, her feet made tracks through the sand as she was pushed back, but the blade was stopped just inches from her nose.

Amon wasn't stopping though. She continued to sail through the air towards Haruka. With her katana attack having failed, she instead drew her main weapon, holding the blade forward and preparing to strike. Haruka flipped the blade in her hands around and did the same.

And then the two met. Both swung their blades. Both delivered the perfect cut. Neither was sure if their hit had actually landed.

For a brief moment the only sound in the whole world was the gentle crashing of waves against the beach.

And then Haruka's shirt split. A red line formed under it, slowly oozing blood. Haruka grunted, grit her teeth to keep the pain down, and stood there, breathing heavily.

A very similar grunt came from Amon, and after the moment passed, she collapsed forward, falling to her knees, and then to her face.

Haruka sheathed her katana back in the sand. Approaching, she could see Amon writhing on the ground. She looked to be in enough pain that Haruka wasn't worried about any further retaliation, though just in case she went ahead and kicked her weapon out of arms reach.

Very slowly, Amon managed to push herself up to one knee.

"I can't… believe this. My clan lost again. This was my chance. My chance to right a decade of wrong."

"I'm sorry," Haruka said. "But I'm not about to let someone kill me. Not now."

"I understand. I have lost. Go ahead then, Haruka Sawamura, finish me."

Haruka blinked. "Huh?"

"I have been defeated in combat by a superior foe. I am an assassin, if you do not kill me I will only try again. I cannot allow my clan's name to continue to wallow in shame, it does not matter the cost."

Haruka looked down at the panting woman clutching the gash in her stomach. She looked down at the furious eyes, wide with pain and loathing and fear. She knelt down to meet Amon face to face.

"How could I kill you? How could I when you defeated me?"

It was Amon's turn to look confused. "I do not understand. What is this trick, Haruka Sawamura?"

"You defeated me in our fight. You were able to cut down the heir to Kazuma Kiryu and you were able to restore your clan's honor. The only reason you left me alive was to match the dishonor Uncle Kaz dealt to you by dying."

"But- But you are standing and I am-"

Haruka looked down to the cut in her stomach. "You did this to me, right?"

Amon nodded, still looking confused.

Haruka responded by flopping backwards into the sand.

Amon blinked and pushed herself to her feet, still clutching at her stomach. She walked over to Haruka, and stared down at her, still processing things.

Eventually, however, a smile cracked across her face. She offered a hand down, which Haruka accepted, and pulled her to her feet as well.

"You are an interesting target, Haruka Sawamura."

"Please don't call me that."

"Very well. I understand your meaning now. But would you really risk your own family's honor to help your sworn enemy? You are still the daughter of the dragon, after all."

"I'm not an enemy of you. And I'm the daughter of Kazuma Kiryu, not the Dragon of Dojima. If holding on to his honor is only going to bring more attempts on the lives of me and my family, I don't want any part of it."

"…Strange indeed. I will – consider your words then, Haruka Sawamura. But you are warned, I may choose not to heed them, and should that happen, I will be back to claim proper revenge."

"Don't be afraid of the easier road."

With a "Hmph…", Amon reached into her jacket and pulled out a small pellet. Before Haruka could react, she threw it to the ground, sending a cloud of smoke around Haruka. She coughed and hacked at it, fanning it away from her face and stumbling forward just trying to get out of it. When she did finally emerge and clear her eyes and throat, she looked around the beach. Amon was gone, as were all the swords and kunai that had been scattered about only moments before.

Something caught Haruka's attention though, a small, dark shape in the sand. She quietly walked over and reached down to pick it up. It was Amon's sunglasses, still discarded in the sand.

"Hmm," Haruka pondered as she pocketed them. "What a strange girl. I hope she manages to get what she wanted from this encounter. But more than that, I just really hope I don't have to deal with that clan ever again."

With that thought, she turned back towards Sunshine and trudged back home. She was very tired.


End file.
